RVCC 2019 NECHE Self-Study

“Soar into your Future!”
Accreditation Self-Study
February 2019
Prepared for the New England Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
(NECHE)
River Valley Community College ● One College Place, Claremont, NH 03743 ● (603) 542-7744 ● www.rivervalley.edu
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Table of Contents
INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS .............................................................................................................. iii
CHIEF INSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS .............................................................................................................. ix
ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS ........................................................................................................................... x
TABLE OF CIHE ACTIONS, ITEMS OF SPECIAL ATTENTION, OR CONCERNS ............................................... xxiv
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 1
RVCC STANDARD COMMITTEES .................................................................................................................... 3
INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................... 4
Standard One ................................................................................................................................................ 8
Standard Two............................................................................................................................................. 14
Standard Three ........................................................................................................................................... 27
Standard Four ............................................................................................................................................. 37
Standard Five .............................................................................................................................................. 58
Standard Six ................................................................................................................................................ 76
Standard Seven ........................................................................................................................................... 97
Standard Eight .......................................................................................................................................... 119
Standard Nine ........................................................................................................................................... 136
Appendices ................................................................................................................................................ 151
Affirmation of Compliance with Federal Regulations Relating to Title IV ............................................ 151
E-Series Forms ....................................................................................................................................... 153
Management Letter & Financial Report…………………………………………………………………………………………..171
List of Documents/Exhibits ................................................................................................................... 261
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INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Institutional Characteristics Form Revised September 2009
Date: November 6, 2018
1. Corporate name of institution: River Valley Community College
2. Date institution was chartered or authorized: 1961
3. Date institution enrolled first students in degree programs: 1968
4. Date institution awarded first degrees: 1970
5. Type of control:
Public
Private
State
City
Other
(Specify) _________________
Independent, not-for-profit
Religious Group
(Name of Church) __________________________
Proprietary
Other: (Specify) ___________________
6. By what agency is the institution legally authorized to provide a program of education beyond
high school, and what degrees is it authorized to grant? State of New Hampshire – Associate in Arts,
Associate in Science
_______________________________________________________________________________
7. Level of postsecondary offering (check all that apply)
Less than one year of work
First professional degree
At least one but less than two years
Master’s and/or work beyond the first
professional degree
Diploma or certificate programs of
Work beyond the master’s level
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at least two but less than four years
Associate degree granting program
of at least two years
but not at the doctoral level
A doctor of philosophy or
equivalent degree
Four- or five-year baccalaureate
program
Other doctoral programs
degree granting
Other (Specify)
8. Type of undergraduate programs (check all that apply)
Occupational training at the
crafts/clerical level (certificate
or diploma)
Liberal arts and general
Occupational training at the technical
or semi-professional level
(degree)
Teacher preparatory
Two-year programs designed for
full transfer to a baccalaureate
degree
__________________
Professional
Other_Non- Credit Workshops
9. The calendar system at the institution is:
Semester Quarter Trimester Other __________________
10. What constitutes the credit hour load for a full-time equivalent (FTE) student each semester?
a) Undergraduate __12_____ credit hours
b) Graduate __N/A_____ credit hours
c) Professional __N/A_____ credit hours
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11. Student population:
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a) Degree-seeking students:
Undergraduate Graduate Total
Full-time student headcount
189 N/A 189
Part-time student headcount
653 N/A 653
FTE
573.3 N/A 573.3
b) Number of students (headcount) in non-credit, short-term courses: ______229_______
12. List all programs accredited by a nationally recognized, specialized accrediting agency.
Program Agency Accredited since Last Reviewed Next Review
Accounting
Business
Management
Medical
Assistant
Medical
Laboratory
Technician
Nursing
Occupational
Therapy
Assistant
Association of
Collegiate
Business
Schools &
Programs
(ACBSP)
Association of
Collegiate
Business
Schools &
Programs
(ACBSP)
Commission on
Accreditation of
Allied Health
Education
Programs
(CAAHEP)
National
Accrediting
Agency for
Clinical
Laboratory
Sciences
(NAACLS)
Accreditation
Commission for
Education in
Nursing
(ACEN)
Accreditation
Council for
Occupational
Therapy
Education
(ACOTE)
2008 2008 2019
2008 2008 2019
1982 2015 2023
1970 2018 2028
2002 (NLNAC)
2016 (ACEN)
2016 2021
1973 2018 2023

Physical
Therapy
Assistant
Radiologic
Technology
Respiratory
Therapy
Commission on
Accreditation in
Physical
Therapy
Education
(CAPTE)
Joint Review
Committee on
Education in
Radiologic
Technology
(JRCERT)
Commission on
Accreditation of
Respiratory
Care (COARC)
1978 2015 2025
2014 2018 2019
1976 2016 2026
13. Off-campus Locations. List all instructional locations other than the main campus. For each site,
indicate whether the location offers full-degree programs or 50% or more of one or more degree
programs. Record the full-time equivalent enrollment (FTE) for the most recent year.
Add more rows as needed.
A. In-state Locations
Full degree 50%-99% FTE
Academic Center in Keene X x *
Academic Center in Lebanon x *
*FTE for academic centers is not
calculated separately
B. Out-of-state Locations
14. International Locations: For each overseas instructional location, indicate the name of the program,
the location, and the headcount of students enrolled for the most recent year. An overseas
instructional location is defined as “any overseas location of an institution, other than the main
campus, at which the institution matriculates students to whom it offers any portion of a degree
program or offers on-site instruction or instructional support for students enrolled in a predominantly
or totally on-line program.” Do not include study abroad locations.
N/A
15. Degrees and certificates offered 50% or more electronically: For each degree or Title IV-eligible
certificate, indicate the level (certificate, associate, baccalaureate, master’s, professional, doctoral),
the percentage of credits that may be completed on-line, and the FTE of matriculated students for the
most recent year. Enter more rows as needed.
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Name of program Degree level % online
FTE
AY18
Accounting Associate 85% 37
Accounting Certificate 83% 3.5
Advanced Accounting Certificate 70% 1
Business Management Concentration Associate 90% 63.84
Business Management Certificate 85% 3.83
Criminal Justice Associate 55% 18.34
Early Childhood Education Associate 85% 63.5
Early Childhood Education Level I Certificate 85% 2
Early Childhood Education Level II Certificate 85% 6
Early Childhood Education Infant & Toddler Certificate 85% 0.75
General Studies 1 + 2 + 3 Associate 50% 227.67
General Studies 1 Associate 1.17
General Studies 2 Associate 5.66
General Studies 3 Associate 220.84
Liberal Arts Associate 80% 108.08
Medical Administrative Assistant Certificate 83% 7.67
Social Services Associate 50% 21.75
Social Services Certificate 66% 0
16. Instruction offered through contractual relationships: For each contractual relationship through
which instruction is offered for a Title IV-eligible degree or certificate, indicate the name of the contractor,
the location of instruction, the program name, and degree or certificate, and the number of credits that may
be completed through the contractual relationship. Enter more rows as needed.
None
17. List by name and title the chief administrative officers of the institution.
Table provided on following page.
18. Supply a table of organization for the institution. While the organization of any institution will
depend on its purpose, size and scope of operation, institutional organization usually includes four
areas. Although every institution may not have a major administrative division for these areas, the
following outline may be helpful in charting and describing the overall administrative organization:
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a) Organization of academic affairs, showing a line of responsibility to president for each
department, school division, library, admissions office, and other units assigned to this area;
b) Organization of student affairs, including health services, student government, intercollegiate
activities, and other units assigned to this area;
c) Organization of finances and business management, including plant operations and maintenance,
non-academic personnel administration, IT, auxiliary enterprises, and other units assigned to this
area;
d) Organization of institutional advancement, including fund development, public relations, alumni
office and other units assigned to this area.
19. Record briefly the central elements in the history of the institution:
History of the institution:
Date Event
1961 New Hampshire Legislature authorized the development of 5 vocational institutes [RSA
188-1] to prepare qualified high school graduates or the equivalent as skilled workers
to meet the occupational needs of the state.
1968 New Hampshire Vocational Institute at Claremont opens.
1969 Name of NH Vocational Institute is changed to New Hampshire Vocational Technical
College at Claremont.
1973 NH Vocational Technical College at Claremont is accredited by NEASC (CTCI).
1989 NH Vocational Technical College at Claremont name is changed to New Hampshire
Technical College at Claremont.
1996 NH Technical College name is changed to New Hampshire Community Technical
College (NHCTC) at Claremont.
1996 NHCTC at Claremont is merged with NHCTC at Nashua to form one regional college.
1999 NHCTC at Claremont implements an Associate in Arts degree
2002 NHCTC- Claremont/Nashua is accredited by NEASC (CIHE)
2004 NHCTC at Claremont opens the Keene Academic Center.
2006 Reorganization results in the separation of merged colleges, creating New Hampshire
Community Technical College at Claremont as one college.
2007 New Hampshire Technical College System reorganizes as a self-governing entity under
the Board of Trustees and changes its name to the Community College System of New
Hampshire.
2008 Renamed River Valley Community College
2012 Fifth Year Report to NEASC
2013-2014 Renovation of the RVCC Claremont facility
2016 RVCC opens the Academic Center of Excellence in Lebanon, N.H. (Former Lebanon
College)
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CHIEF INSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS
Function or Office Name Exact Title Year of Appointment
Chair Board of Trustees Jeremy Hitchcock Chairperson,
CCSNH Board of Trustees
President/CEO Alfred Williams President 2018
Executive Vice President
Chief Academic Officer Aimee Jahn VP of Academic Affairs 2018
Deans of Schools and Colleges
(insert rows as needed)
Chief Financial Officer Andrea Allbee Business Affairs Officer 2016
2018
Chief Student Services Officer Jennifer Cournoyer Interim Associate VP of
Student Affairs
2018
Planning
Institutional Research
Assessment
Development
Library James Allen Director of the Library 2008
Chief Information Officer Shubhashish Mathema IT Manager 2017
Continuing Education Daniel Osborn Coordinator of Workforce
& Community Education
2017
Grants/Research
Admissions Kathy Aldrich Admissions Counselor 2017
Registrar Jillian Davis Registrar 2018
Financial Aid Julia Dower Director of Financial Aid 2005
Public Relations
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ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS
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TABLE OF CIHE ACTIONS, ITEMS OF SPECIAL
ATTENTION, OR CONCERNS
TABLE OF CIHE ACTIONS, ITEMS OF SPECIAL ATTENTION, OR CONCERNS
Date of
CIHE
Letter
Detailed Actions, Items of Special Attention, or
Concerns
CIHE
Standards
cited in Letter
January Provide update on Radiologic Technology program
26, 2017 following JRCERT site evaluation Spring 2018
January
26, 2017
January
26, 2017
January
26, 2017
January
25, 2016
Provide update on Lebanon, NH location with
emphasis on:
Achieving enrollment goals for location
o Increase enrollment by 5% annually
o Increase non-credit offerings in
workforce development and
continuation at the site by 6%
Provide update on Lebanon, NH location with
emphasis on:
Competing facility improvements to
enhance the academic and student services
available to students
o Converting classrooms to smart
classrooms
o Upgrading technology
o Upgrading security
o Creation of a multi-healthcare and
science lab to enable expansion of
STEM and healthcare programs at
the site
Provide update on Lebanon, NH location with
emphasis on:
Implementing plans to ensure stable
leadership for the institution and Lebanon
Academic Center
Implementing New Data management system with
emphasis on assessing data and using results to
inform planning and decision-making
N/A 152
Self-Study
Page Number
Students 22, 42, 53, 66,
111
Institutional
Resources
(7.21)
Planning &
Evaluation
(2.3)
Organization &
Governance
(3.12)
Planning &
Evaluation
(2.2)
112
17, 35
19, 95, 128
January
25, 2016
January
25, 2016
Assuring appropriate student participation in the
governance and planning process of the College
Evaluating the effectiveness of the Strategic
Enrollment Management Plan with emphasis on
achieving student success and retention goals
Educational
Effectiveness
(8.3, 8.5, 8.6,
8.10)
Organization &
Governance
(3.16)
Planning &
Evaluation
(2.6, 2.8)
35
65
January
25, 2016
Developing risk assessment and financial plans to
inform decisions related to institutional growth with
attention to expanding to new locations
Planning &
Evaluation
(2.4)
17, 103
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Institutional
Resources
(7.6, 7.14)
TABLE OF CIHE ACTIONS, ITEMS OF SPECIAL ATTENTION, OR CONCERNS (CONTINUED)
Date of
CIHE
Letter
January
25, 2016
November
18, 2013
Detailed Actions, Items of Special Attention, or
Concerns
Implementing leadership transition plans with
emphasis on stabilizing turnover and filling interim
positions with permanent employees to assure that
the Extended Leadership Team is functioning
effectively
Continued success in offering programs at its offcampus
instructional locations
Assuring sufficient faculty to offer the
programs in Keene
CIHE
Standards
cited in Letter
Planning &
Evaluation
(2.3)
Organization &
Governance
(3.12)
Teaching,
Learning &
Scholarship
(6.2)
Self-Study
Page Number
2, 19, 44
53, 85
November
18, 2013
Continued success in offering programs at its offcampus
instructional locations:
Using the results of the program review of
the Advanced Machine Technology program
offered in Lebanon to make improvements
The Academic
Program (4.6)
42, 53
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INTRODUCTION
River Valley Community College (RVCC) began the self-study process in 2015, with the
following goals in mind:
To improve the College’s ability to meet the needs of all students;
To demonstrate the College’s ability to persevere and provide high quality education
for students even in the midst of challenging times;
To highlight the College’s areas of strength and communicate readiness to build
upon these strengths moving forward.
The president at the time, Dr. Harvey-Smith, identified and appointed a chair for each
standard. On October 15 th , 2015, all Standard Chairs were sent to participate in the Self-
Study Workshop in Southbridge, MA. Upon returning to campus, under the direction of the
Special Assistant to the President, the Standard Chairs met and developed a timeline for
data collection and completion of the self-study. In order to ensure wide participation, all
members of the college community were charged with volunteering for a Standard that
was of interest to them. Standard committees were finalized during the Fall 2015
semester, based on the 2013 Standards for Accreditation.
In 2016, with the consolidation from eleven to nine Standards for Accreditation, the
standard committees were re-formatted to reflect the new standards. Committees were
also updated to reflect current employment at the College, and to ensure that all college
faculty and staff were given a voice in the process. Simultaneously, the project oversight
was transitioned to the Associate Vice-President of Academic Affairs (AVPAA) of the Keene
Academic Center (KAC) who currently serves as a faculty member and the Department
Chair of the Business department.
In AY 2016-2017, due to multiple changes in administration, RVCC was granted permission
from NECHE to postpone the self-study from Spring of 2018 to Spring of 2019. Standard
committees began meeting in the Spring Semester of 2017 to work individually on their
standards and to begin preparations for data collection in Fall of 2017. Each Standard
Chair or Co-Chair was responsible for setting meeting dates and agendas, working with
and guiding their committees, and gathering data to address the required information.
During the “Faculty and Staff Work Weeks” in fall 2017, which are the traditional kick-off
to the academic year, Dr. Patricia O’Brien travelled to RVCC and presented to the entire
college community. At this August 24, 2017 visit, Dr. O’Brien’s presentation highlighted
the process of accreditation, some areas to pay attention to when gathering data and
writing standards, and information to clarify questions on the consolidation of the
standards. The standard committees then proceeded to break out sessions where each
committee could review the work that had been done in Spring 2017, review their
progress, and ask questions of Dr. O’Brien. Following the break-out sessions, the
Standard Chairs met with Dr. O’Brien to wrap up with any follow-up questions that they
had.
Standard Chairs continued to work on gathering data, and in Fall of 2017, a “one voice”
writer was appointed to write the self-study. During the Spring 2018 Faculty Work Week
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in January, the one-voice writer outlined the timeline of requests for data from Standard
committees and presented the process she would follow for writing of the narrative.
On April 25, 2018, the college community was once again visited by a NECHE
representative. Dr. Carol Anderson came to speak with the college community regarding
self-study preparation, a review of the Standards for Accreditation, Commission
Expectations, and Areas of Emphasis. This presentation was very helpful in highlighting
specific sub-standards that teams needed to focus on and Dr. Anderson reviewed specific
areas that RVCC specifically needed to highlight from previous letters the college had
received from NECHE. At this visit, Standard Chairs were able to meet directly with Dr.
Anderson and clarify any additional questions that had come up since the visit from Dr.
O’Brien.
Writing continued throughout the Summer of 2018, and in October 2018, oversight of the
process was turned over to the new Interim Associate Vice President of Student Affairs
(IAVPSA). The initial draft of the report was submitted to an external review board for
comment. Their feedback, along with updates from the President and his administration
were incorporated into the report.
In Fall 2018, presentations on the accreditation process and the self-study report were
made at the All-College Staff Meeting and to the Student Government Association. A draft
report was submitted to NECHE in November of 2018 and Carol Anderson visited campus
on December 5 th , 2018 to review and provide feedback on the draft. A team comprised of
the original one-voice writer, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the Interim
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs was tasked with making final revisions to the
draft in December of 2018. The team solicited feedback from student readers who
provided their input at a meeting on January 3, 2019. Final revisions were shared with
each standard committee in January of 2019. The final draft was submitted to NECHE in
February of 2019.
While this process was started early, the college community recognizes that turnover in
administration, college personnel, and therefore standard committee memberships
provided some challenges. The leadership of President Williams and his administration has
lent a new focus and clarity to the self-study process, and the report contained herein is an
accurate reflection of RVCC’s strengths, areas for improvement, and expectations for the
College going forward.
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RVCC STANDARD COMMITTEES
Committee Membership
Standard One – Mission & Purpose
Standard Six – Teaching, Learning, & Scholarship
Kevin Krawiec, Faculty (Chair)
Laurie Clute, Faculty (Chair)
Robert Morris, Faculty
Rich Andrusiak, Faculty
Jen Saylor, Faculty
Ken Czechowicz, Faculty
Sue Prasch, Faculty
Standard Two – Planning & Evaluation
Denise Ruby, Faculty
Kerry Belknap Morris, Faculty (Co-Chair) Martha Mott, Staff
Susan Prasch, Faculty (Co-Chair)
Kathy Aldrich, Staff
Standard Seven – Institutional Resources
Cathy Gorman, Staff
Andrea Albee, Staff (Chair)
Gloria Oakes, Staff
Ken Czechowicz, Faculty
Kathi Rheaume, Staff
Jim Allen, Staff
James Carroll, Staff
Standard Three – Organization & Governance Pat Labrecque, Staff
Jim Allen, Staff (Chair)
Michelle Lockwood, Staff
Charlene Ashey, Staff
Crystal Thibodeau, Staff
Jerry Appell, Staff
Christine Cavanaugh, Staff
Standard Eight – Educational Effectiveness
Morgan Sailer, Staff
Linda Richelson, Staff (Co-Chair)
Jillian Davis, Staff (Co-Chair)
Standard Four – The Academic Program
Michelle Luciano-Torres, Faculty
Kim-Laura Boyle, Faculty (Co-Chair)
Michelle Kainen, Faculty
Aimee Jahn, VPAA (Co-Chair)
Lisa Gould, Faculty
Amanda Couitt, Faculty
Standard Nine – Integrity, Transparency, & Public
Disclosure
Jim Allen, Staff (Chair)
Standard Five – Students
Laura Hanson, Staff
Nickole Milo, Staff (Chair)
Dan Osborn, Staff
Julie Robinson, Faculty
Naomi Drury, Staff
Julia Dower, Staff
Cathy Driesch, Staff
Rianna Villemaire, Staff
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INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW
River Valley Community College is a small, rural community college which celebrated its
50 th year anniversary in 2018. Originally named New Hampshire Vocational Institute at
Claremont, it opened in 1968 with 129 students, and became an immediate source of the
pride for the Claremont, New Hampshire area. The first graduating class was composed of
twenty-six nurses, twelve medical assistants, and nine medical laboratory students,
beginning a tradition of excellence in the allied health field that continues today.
River Valley Community College is one of seven colleges that make up the Community
College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH, “the System”). CCSNH is overseen by a
Chancellor and a Board of Trustees. While RVCC works within a system, each college is
directed by its own President who is responsible for the organizational structure of the
institution; and its own Board of Trustees. Each college is responsible for its own
budgeting system, developing its own academic offerings to meet the needs of the region
it serves, and creating its own strategic plan; all while working collaboratively under the
umbrella of CCSNH.
RVCC is located on the western border of the state of New Hampshire. The College’s
service area extends from Keene, NH in the southwestern portion of the state, up to
Hanover, NH to the north, spanning approximately eighty-five miles. It also extends
westerly into the state of Vermont approximately fifty miles and easterly to the Lakes
Region of New Hampshire, another 50 miles. In addition, students attending some of our
unique Allied Health and Health Science programs regularly commute two hours one way
to attend classes, as there are no other institutions that offer these programs in the area.
In academic year 2017-2018, RVCC served 859 credit students and 229 non-credit
students. The average age of the student population is 30 and the majority of the
students (78%) attend part time. Approximately 80% of students are eligible for financial
aid. The College’s academic offerings include one Associate in Arts Degree, 17 Associate in
Science Degree programs, and 14 Certificate Programs. For academic year 2017-2018,
RVCC reported 192 program completers with 120 associate degrees awarded, and 72
certificates. The College offers a variety of courses, both on-ground and online, at the
Claremont campus and at two academic centers located in Keene, NH (KAC) and Lebanon,
NH (LAC), and RVCC students generally express satisfaction with their educational
experiences at the College (Figure 1).
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A recurring theme discussed throughout the process of this self-study is the constant state
of flux at the administrative level of the College. After several years without consistent
leadership, RVCC selected a new president, Alfred Williams, and promoted a new Vice
President of Academic Affairs (VPAA), Aimee Jahn, from inside the Institution. President
Williams also recruited an Interim Associate Vice President of Student Affairs (IAVPSA),
Jenn Cournoyer. The appointment of both a new President and the IAVPSA who bring
outside vision, and the VPAA who has intimate knowledge of the College, has reinvigorated
the faculty and staff at RVCC and confirmed that the College is continuing to move down
the right path. Upon his arrival in July 2018, President Williams committed to ensuring that
student success would stay at the forefront of everything the College does, articulating his
vision to the Executive Leadership Team and at the Fall 2018 All-College Staff Meeting
that:
The College meets the educational and workforce needs of the community through a
focus on retention and completion.
The College provides training for the workforce by offering Certificates and Degrees
leading directly to work opportunities, and consistently works with area employers
to evaluate programs and offerings.
The College provides direct pathways to transfer options.
The College engages in consistent self-evaluation to remove roadblocks for students
and ensure student success.
The process of this self-study has also highlighted some significant developments and
areas of achievement in the years since the progress report submitted to NECHE in
February of 2015, in line with the 2018 Strategic Plan. These include:
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A new mission statement that more accurately reflects the aims of the College, and
a strategic plan to support those aims.
New safety and security features including a security system with cameras, a parttime
Chief Security Officer, and Blue Phones in the Claremont parking lot.
Improvements to academic programs including the redesign of the Social Services
and Criminal Justice programs, the addition of the Radiologic Tech program, the
development and implementation of co-requisite mathematics, the ability of the

Physical Therapist Assistant program to accept more students, and the opening of
the Academic Center in Lebanon, NH.
New methods for open communication in the College including a bi-weekly
Presidential newsletter for faculty and staff, a monthly newsletter for students, a
new texting service for students, the installation of Zoom equipment for both
classroom and faculty/staff use, and coordination of social media by the President’s
Assistant.
Better reporting and fiscal management implemented by the BAO which have
stabilized the College’s finances
River Valley Community College takes pride in the fact that it has been educating students
in western New Hampshire for fifty years. The College’s alumni are working in medical
occupations, at technology firms, and in private businesses throughout our service
area. RVCC’s main campus in Claremont is located in an area defined by the Chronicle of
Higher Education as an educational desert, meaning that the population only has one lowcost
option for college in a fifty-mile area. Thus, it is vital that the College’s programs are
successful and high-quality in order to provide transfer opportunities for our
graduates. The self-study process has confirmed that the College is dedicated to
continuous evaluation and improvement, and illuminated the pride that RVCC takes in
educating students. Staff and faculty alike are motivated to come to work each day by the
knowledge that they have a positive direct impact on students and thus the
community. Serving such a wide area with a small number of employees requires faculty
and staff to wear many hats, but they do so willingly to witness the success of RVCC
students.
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DATA FIRST FORMS
GENERAL INFORMATION
Institution Name:
River Valley Community College
OPE ID: ? : 00756000
0 Annual Audit
? 0 Certified: Qualified
Financial Results for Year Ending: ? 06/30 Yes/No Unqualified
Most Recent Year ? 2018 Yes Unqualified
1 Year Prior 2017 Yes Unqualified
2 Years Prior 2016 Yes Unqualified
Fiscal Year Ends on:
30-Jun (month/day)
Budget / Plans
Current Year 2019
Next Year 2020
Contact Person:
Title:
Telephone No:
E-mail address
? Andrea Allbee
Business Affairs Officer
603.542.7744 x5301
aallbee@ccsnh.edu
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Standard One
Mission & Purposes

Description
Mission Statement: River Valley Community College transforms lives by providing a
quality and affordable education through innovative personal approaches to lifelong
learning and career pathways.
The mission of the College reflects the institution’s unique character, and its commitment
to serve the needs of a wide variety of student populations, including recent high school
graduates, dual enrolled students (high school and college), GED holders, first-generation
college students, veterans returning to school, adults seeking a new career, and seniors
continuing their learning. Some of our students are overcoming educational risk factors,
such as learning disabilities, physical health challenges and family instability. Many of our
students are faced with time constraints, family responsibilities and financial concerns,
including balancing multiple part-time jobs and personal and family demands. The College
has a strong tradition of supporting the success of all students. There is a deep respect for
the diverse talents and struggles of students, and a pride in celebrating each success.
Over time, changes with regard to the community demographics (business and industry),
system initiatives, and student population/ interests have required RVCC to review its
mission statement. Review of the mission statement often has coincided with the
investiture of new administration. The College’s mission statement was most recently
revised by faculty, staff and administration in February of 2017 at an All College Meeting.
This process of review ensures that the College’s mission remains an appropriate template
for our academic programs; it also supports and provides direction for student services.
The college body stated that the institutional mission should be clear and succinct so that
it could easily be remembered by the college community. Simultaneously, at the
recommendation of the administration, there was a unanimous vote by faculty and staff to
do away with the vision statement, because it appeared redundant to the new mission
statement.
College operations, organizational structure, personnel matters, academic and studentsupport
programs, and strategic and financial plans are all grounded in the mission of the
College. The mission is visible on the College’s website, Catalog, Academic Policy and
Procedure Manual, and in the Student Handbook.
River Valley Community College’s mission statement was developed to be consistent with
the Mission & Vision Statement of CCSNH.
CCSNH Mission Statement: Our purpose is to provide residents with affordable, accessible
education and training that aligns with the needs of New Hampshire’s businesses and
communities, delivered through an innovative, efficient, and collaborative system of
colleges. CCSNH is dedicated to the educational, professional, and personal success of its
students; a skilled workforce for our state’s businesses; and a strong New Hampshire
economy.
CCSNH Vision Statement: 65 by 25: To maintain New Hampshire’s positive economic
indicators, including low unemployment and high per capita income, NH will need 65% of
adults with education beyond high school. CCSNH is committed to achieving this by 2025.
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Currently, New Hampshire has a relatively low unemployment rate; averaging about 2.4%
for an eleven-month period ranging from January-November of 2018. This is below the
national average of 3.7%. The counties served by RVCC are slightly below even the NH
average with Sullivan County (Claremont) averaging 2.2%; Grafton county (LAC)
averaging 2.1%; and Cheshire County (KAC) only slightly above the state average at
2.6%. These percentages average approximately 1000 unemployed people in each of the
Academic Center Locations (Keene and Lebanon) and only approximately 525 unemployed
people in Claremont. (NH Economic Security, Economic, and Labor Market Information
Bureau, “2018 NH Local Area Unemployment Statistics”). This low level of unemployment
in the counties served by RVCC, while good for the economy, has a negative impact on
enrollment trends.
The close alignment between RVCC’s mission statement and CCSNH’s mission statement
ensures that our mission enjoys the support of the CCSNH Board of Trustees. Though
consistent with the system mission, the College’s mission still reflects the unique
influences of our community and region as well as our institutional history and culture.
Our mission statement has provided a touchstone for the development and delivery of our
academic programs, community outreach, and services, and is consistent with the
following initiatives in the College’s 2018-2021 Strategic Plan:
Financial Stewardship
Student Success
Teaching & Learning Excellence
Operational & Technological Efficiency
Community, Business & Industry Partnerships
Faculty & Staff Development
Appraisal of Mission & Purposes:
The mission of student success provides a sense of unity and purpose for everyone on
campus. Faculty and staff have stayed true to the mission throughout administrative
turnover, and the commitment of faculty and staff to the students is one of the reasons
that RVCC has weathered the transitions so well. Respecting past traditions is an
important value on campus, and it is important to recognize the ongoing commitment to
student success as the College plans for the future. Fully realizing our mission of
accessibility, quality and affordable education, and personal approaches to lifelong learning
requires our outreach to, and development of, a variety of academic supports and
programming.
In one such endeavor, RVCC reaches out in partnerships to local High Schools and Centers
of Technical Education in programs such as Running Start, our dual enrollment program
which offers high school students the chance to earn college credits at their high school for
a reduced tuition rate.
College credits can also be earned through our Bridge2College program, which affords high
school students the opportunity to earn college credit by taking courses at the College at a
reduced rate.
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Through our workforce development office, RVCC offers many educational and training
opportunities to various businesses and industries in our catchment area such as the
following:
Working with our medical partners to provide training in medical terminology,
computer applications, and customer service.
Working with our manufacturing partners in providing over 100 on-line personal
development and information technology programs to allow workers to access these
programs and work at their own pace.
Collaborating with the American Red Cross to provide space and materials to train
Licensed Nursing Assistants (LNAs).
Providing practitioners in their chosen field, Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
As part of the partnership between CCSNH, the NH Department of Resources and
Economic Development, and the NH Department of Employment Security, we also host
WorkReadyNH, a tuition-free workforce development program targeted towards un/ underemployed
residents. Those who successfully complete the program receive a nationally
recognized certificate to provide to prospective employers.
RVCC strives to provide all of its students with the academic supports needed to ensure
their success. To integrate academic support and services into one location (beginning in
Claremont), the Student Success Center was relocated adjacent to the Library and Library
Computer Lab. This area offers a variety of opportunities for students needing to build or
strengthen basic academic skills. While Keene does not have a dedicated space like
Claremont and Lebanon, there are private spaces for students to meet with tutors and do
computer work. All students can access the Library’s electronic catalog via their Easy Log-
In credentials although the majority of the physical collection is housed in Claremont.
To improve persistence and graduation rates, the Mathematics department restructured
their course offerings to implement a co-requisite lab/ gateway course model for students
who wish to enroll in Statistics I, Functions and Modeling I, and Mathematical
Investigations.
River Valley sees itself as a partner with the Claremont, Keene, and Lebanon communities
as evidenced by community involvement with the College, and College involvement with
the communities. Examples include:
Participation of community members from each region (Claremont, Keene, and
Lebanon) on the 2017 Presidential Search Committee;
Community food donations to students of the College while the cafeteria was closed
during its transition to a Micro-Market;
College charity drives for local food and animal shelters;
College employee participation in local fundraising efforts such as “Steppin’ Up to
end Violence 5K,” a local 5K road race to assist the Turning Points Network in raising
money for their fight against domestic and sexual violence in the region.
The College’s new strategic plan (2018-2021) clearly outlines RVCC’s commitment to the
mission for the institution as a whole. Objectives in the strategic plan such as Strategic
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Initiative 3: Teaching & Learning have “Key Strategies” that directly reflect the mission of
the College and provide a pathway for continued support of the mission.
Strengths
There is a strong commitment of faculty and staff to student success as the heart of
the mission, which has been periodically reviewed.
The 2018 Strategic Plan builds off the mission to provide appropriate activities and
initiatives.
The CCSNH vision statement sets aspirational goals for the College.
There is strong support from CCSNH and from the community to see RVCC succeed.
Challenges
The current low unemployment rate in N.H., coinciding with declining enrollment
trends, may make it challenging to achieve the CCSNH mission of 65 by 25 in
RVCC’s catchment area.
There could be increased awareness by students, staff, faculty, and the community
regarding the mission statement and 2018 Strategic Plan.
Departments have not yet started writing strategic plans related to the 2018
Strategic plan.
Projections
By Fall 2020 begin to include the College’s mission on marketing materials and
internal communications to increase awareness of the mission.
By Fall 2020 departments will begin work on departmental strategic plans which
support and enhance the College’s Strategic Plan and are reflective of the College’s
mission.
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Standard 1: Mission and Purposes
Attach a copy of the current mission statement.
Document
Website location
Institutional
Mission
Statement ? https://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/accreditation/mission ?
Date
Approved
by the
Governing
Board
February
22, 2017
?
Mission
Statement
published
Website location
College
Catalog ? https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/62316244/rvcccatalog
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62316264/rvcc-2018-2021-strategic-plan
Strategic Plan
Student https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/studenthandbook201718final
Handbook
Print
Publication
?
Related
statements
Website location
CCSNH
Mission &
Vision
Statements ? https://www.ccsnh.edu/about-ccsnh/mission-strategic-plan
Print
Publication
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Standard Two
Planning & Evaluation

Description
Planning and evaluation at RVCC has taken a variety of paths over the past few years.
With the turnover of administration, it became difficult to maintain a steady trajectory with
regards to the College’s areas of focus. Despite this challenge, the College has done work
at many levels of planning and evaluation that have strengthened and streamlined the
academic offerings, improved financial processes, and identified areas of focus for the
future. While the College operates in four locations; the main campus, two academic
centers, and online; college-wide planning takes into consideration each of these locations
simultaneously and as a whole. Planning for each location does occur independently, but
only in consideration of the college-wide plan.
Planning
RVCC’s 2016-2020 Strategic Plan identified four strategic directions which included
Student Access, Student Success, Teaching & Learning, and Sustainability. Each
department based their own strategic plans on the same four strategic directions and all
faculty were encouraged to incorporate the four strategic directions in their Individual
Professional Growth Plans (PGPs). The four directions were utilized as a basis to guide all
planning and decision making at the institution. In the RVCC 2015 Progress report, River
Valley identified goals related to continued strategic planning. Changes in leadership,
including the departure of the President in 2016 and the appointment of an Interim
President shortly after, made it difficult to continue the direction of the 2016-2020
Strategic Plan; and in 2017 work began on a new strategic plan. This work began at a
Strategic Planning Retreat in February of 2017 which included representation from multiple
areas of the RVCC faculty, staff, and the community. This process will be discussed fully
later in this Standard.
RVCC’s main method of communication to ensure all college parties are aware of
information is the use of the All-College Staff Meeting. This once-monthly meeting, which
is held in Claremont but utilizes online technology to allow the LAC and KAC to participate,
is the meeting by which updates on all college activities are distributed. Any member of
the institution can request an item be placed on the agenda and the meeting allows for a
means of open communication. At least once per semester, representatives of the CCSNH
System, including the Chancellor and Chief Human Resource Officer will attend the All-
College Staff Meeting to communicate updates from the System to the RVCC Community.
Often, these meetings provide opportunities for the college community to be updated on
evaluation and planning at the College and the System level.
For example, one area of concern expressed across the campus was lack of transparency
and understanding of the budgeting process. While topics related directly to the budget
process will be fully explained in Standard 7, it is important to note that over the past
year, one of the areas that has improved greatly in regards to campus evaluation and
planning is the implementation of regular budget updates from the College Business Affairs
Officer (BAO) at our All-College Staff Meeting. The BAO is a regular presenter at these
meetings. She also provides weekly and monthly budget updates to Program Directors.
This has been particularly important in regards to our current enrollment trends and the
impact that enrollment has on funding of the College. This change came as a result of
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direct feedback from Program Directors and Department Chairs expressing concern over
lack of control or understanding of the budget process for their individual areas. This
increased transparency has led to each program having an improved ability to plan and
evaluate spending trends in their area and allowed the College as a whole to have
improved understanding of their role in the budgeting process.
The Institution also utilizes a model of Standing Teams that ensures that a variety of
individuals are participating in the work of moving the institution forward. This list was
reviewed and updated at the All-College Staff Meeting during Fall of 2018.
Many programs have individual advisory boards which serve to guide the College forward
at the program level. The College Advisory Board and individual program advisory boards
allow for input from multiple constituents. Some program advisory boards include
students and adjunct faculty, providing both internal and external perspectives for
programs to consider when making plans for updates and improvements.
The College has support from CCSNH to access data, but it is sometimes unclear what data
is available for evaluation purposes at the college level and there are sometimes
uncertainties about how to utilize this support effectively. In January 2018, CCSNH
provided a training to a Rapid Insight program called NOABO, which was renamed Veera
Bridge in Summer 2018. This program allows Program Directors direct access to
enrollment data and trends and has been a welcome tool. Data is collected across the
system but can be filtered by each Program Director to review trends in their individual
programs and can even be drilled down to the level of individual students. Data can be
sorted in a variety of ways, including by location to pull out the Academic Centers
individually for improved analysis and planning. Program Directors for nationally accredited
programs in the Health Sciences and Allied Health fields keep additional data as required
by their accrediting bodies, but this is program-dependent.
In February of 2017, representatives from a broad spectrum of RVCC faculty, staff, and
administration, as well as a member from the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce,
participated in a planning and evaluation meeting. This gathering provided an opportunity
for evaluation of and reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of the Institution.
Attendees reviewed the current mission statement (from 2015); the College Ethics and
Core Values; the College’s slogan; and the Educational Philosophy Statement. Further
conversation revolved around marketing and branding, local relations, alumni, and
accessibility (meeting minutes, Strategic Planning Retreat 2/3/17). As a result of this
retreat, a list of six Initiatives were developed to guide the 2018 – 2021 Strategic Plan.
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Committees for each Initiative met throughout the Spring of 2017 to develop objectives
and the measurements they would use to evaluate progress towards completion of each
objective. Due to leadership changes in Fall of 2017, work on the strategic plan slowed.
This was a necessary step due to the search for a full-time President. Under President
Williams, the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan was completed and approved by the college
community in late Fall 2018.
In the recent past due to instability in the offices of President and BAO, RVCC engaged in a
period of reactionary spending instead of proactive planning for budgetary needs. This
spending resulted in a deficit, and a workforce reduction in Spring of 2017. Under the
current administration, focus and organization of college finances has shifted significantly
to a strategic spending policy resulting in a balanced budget at RVCC. The BAO is
transparent in how budgets are created, the many factors that need to be considered in
budgeting, and most importantly, now involves each Department Chair, Division Director,
and Program Director in developing their own budgets. The budget process has been
clarified for the college community and is much more focused on creating a balanced
budget with regular evaluation of income and expenses, resulting in the College once again
operating in the black. This updated process of financial planning and evaluation is
explained in detail in Standard Seven.
An additional challenge in planning has been the expansion of the College through the
Academic Center in Lebanon. Previously, when the College consisted of the Claremont
campus and the Keene Academic Center, the roles of each location were clear. The
College has struggled to find an identity for the LAC, however. Original plans for the LAC
indicated that it would be the center for Business and Technology. After completion it was
discussed that the LAC would house some Allied Health programs. These plans were
discussed at the administrative level and did not include conversations with Program
Directors. When Program Directors were included in these conversations it was clear that
due to the lack of lab space at the LAC, national accreditation requirements, and
enrollment trends, it was not going to be feasible to duplicate these programs at the LAC.
President Williams’ administration has continued these open conversations to appropriately
plan and clarify the roles of the Academic Centers within the College as a whole. These
plans have included the expansion of non-credit offerings and eliminating duplication of
classes at the LAC that are offered in Claremont. The VPAA along with Department Chairs
and Program Coordinators have focused on classes that meet the needs of the Lebanon
area, and together they are working on identifying a major that is exclusive to the LAC.
The mathematics co-requisite project provides evidence of planning at the academic level;
outcomes of which are explained in greater detail in Standard Five. While this is only one
example of academic planning, it is one of the projects the College is proudest of and has
that impacted students at all levels. In 2016, the Chancellor of CCSNH signed on to
Complete College America, a non-profit organization that works with states to improve
access to quality career certificates and degrees. In March of 2016, the RVCC Math
Department Chair attended the National Academy for Scaling Co-Requisite Remediation in
Atlanta, GA with a team from CCSNH. There, the team heard about co-requisite projects
from colleges across the nation and began developing a system-wide co-requisite plan.
That plan was adapted at each of the CCSNH colleges independently.
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The Department Chair, with help from one Academic Advisor who has a background in
math, and one adjunct math faculty spent AY16-17 developing and planning the corequisite
math model. This was the second major redesign of the mathematics pathway;
the first occurring in 2012 which decreased the number of courses a student testing into
the developmental pathway had to take from two to one. The first redesign resulted in
improvements in math persistence as described in Standard Five; but did not eliminate the
need for developmental courses. The Co-requisite project was planned to do just that,
eliminate the developmental courses for math whenever possible for students. The project
began by working with the CCSNH System-wide data analytics person to evaluate college
data with specific focus on developmental math success rates and persistence rates dating
back to 2011. The team then developed pacing guides and advising models for math
pathways, set SAT cut scores for each math course, developed a schedule and structure of
co-requisite mathematics courses, and developed training plans for instructors. Training
for Program Directors was also included as this was a significant change in the way
students were advised and filtered into math courses. Communication of this change to
the College as a whole took place via All-College Staff Meeting, Department Chairs
Meetings, and various working groups. The project plan was completed and the first corequisite
courses were taught in Fall of 2017. Currently, the only developmental courses
taught are for those students who show significant deficits in college-readiness related to
their math skills or those students who self-select into the developmental courses for
personal reasons. There are two courses: one for students entering into STEM fields, and
one for students entering into non-STEM fields.
Appraisal of Planning
Since Fall of 2018 there has been an increase in stability of processes due to the new
administrative structure under President Williams. For example, he recognized the need to
finalize the College’s strategic plan. Most of the work had been done on it, but it had
never been presented to the College to vote on. This was accomplished in December
2018. Further improvements under the new administration include ensuring that relevant
parties are at the table with regard to planning of programs, proactive rather than reactive
approaches to issues, and open communication with the college community.
Great strides have been made in the financial planning of the institution with improved
identification of risks, improvements in involving individual departments in planning their
own budgets, and increased transparency with regards to expenses and revenue. Program
Directors now receive weekly updated budget spreadsheets for their programs which
provides up to date information regarding spending and budgeting. This allows Program
Directors increased control of supply purchasing to meet the academic needs of their
students. Financial transparency has also led to improved understanding by the college
community with regards to the Academic Centers and how each center contributes to the
overall budget for the College.
Planning and implementation of projects has also been quite successful at the
programmatic level as evidenced by the implementation of the math co-requisite project.
The thoughtful and purposeful plan developed prior to implementation, the implementation
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of the project, and the continued assessment will be utilized as a model as RVCC explores
implementation of an English co-requisite project.
Implementation of NOABO/Veera Bridge has led to greater access to data, although there
are concerns with regards to limitations in the system. Veera Bridge pulls all data from
Banner and Banner has limitations in data access particularly when it comes to evaluating
students who may have more than one major. Programs with national accreditation do an
excellent job of collecting data on graduates, but there are still not consistent practices
across the institution when it comes to this type of data; instead it is left to individual
Program Directors.
Strengths
While RVCC’s 2015 – 2020 Strategic Plan was not fully developed, the four strategic
directions (student access, student success, teaching & learning, sustainability)
continued to guide RVCC’s work—in many different areas and at all levels.
RVCC has maintained its commitment to broad participation and regular
communication, including All-College Staff Meeting, meetings with representatives
from CCSNH System Office, and review of Standing Teams.
Challenges
RVCC needs to determine the best way to utilize software provided by CCSNH
system.
Evaluation
Mission & Vision Evaluation
RVCC has periodically reviewed and updated its mission, typically with the installation of a
new President. The process has been done collectively at All-College Staff Meeting which
allows input from the college community. Recent feedback on the mission identified that
while there were parts of it that were accurately reflective of the College, members of the
College had concerns with the wording of the mission related to is loftiness and its lack of
measurability for some of the statements included. The most recent evaluation of the
mission occurred at the February 2017 Strategic Planning Retreat in which the committee
evaluated the mission statement. Feedback at that meeting echoed the feedback of the
College as a whole, particularly that the statement was not concrete or tangible. This
process allowed for the adoption of the College’s current mission.
Academic Evaluation
RVCC has multiple avenues of evaluating the effectiveness and quality of the academic
programs leading to systematic improvements in the academic offerings at the College.
Evaluation of each course occurs through course evaluations which are administered each
semester to all students in the course. Results of the evaluations are deployed to each
faculty member and to the Department Chairs who oversee the faculty member.
Individual faculty can choose to use the feedback as they see fit and Department Chairs
utilize the information in the faculty evaluation process. Course evaluations sometimes
lead to adjustments in course assignments for students, changes in course materials, or
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may lead to formal revisions of course outlines submitted to Curriculum Team in order to
change the course objectives. Some examples of changes made as a result of course
evaluations include changing textbooks to better suit the level of the course instruction
(AHLT 123R – Functional Kinesiology); and changing formats of classes from hybrid to face
to face (MLTC 113R – Clinical Chemistry). Student evaluations had a major impact on
revisions to the HSV 120R – Learning & Behavior course. This course was used by both the
Early Childhood Education and Social Services programs. Specific student feedback on
course evaluations indicated that this format was not effective, and students indicated they
were uncertain why both majors were required to take the course together as they did not
feel as though they were acquiring specific information on topics that they needed.
Changes were made to course readings and assignments, but the same concerns appeared
on subsequent course evaluations. With the revision of the Social Services Program, this
course was eliminated from the program of study and the key content from this course
was distributed into other required Social Service courses. The course remained in the
Early Childhood program and was renamed and recoded as ECE 120R – Learning,
Behavior, and Positive Guidance in the Fall of 2017. During Fall 2017 meetings with
advisees, the ECE Program Director had none of the previous complaints that were
associated with this course. The process for updating a course outline (including course
objectives) is described in Standard Four. Beginning in Fall of 2017, the Curriculum Team
has been working to ensure that competencies on the course objectives are measurable
and not simply learning objectives or the table of contents from a textbook. Course
outlines are expected to be reviewed by Program Directors every 5 years to ensure they
are up to date and relevant. Most programs are in compliance with this request. Those
programs that were not in compliance recently included Business, Accounting, and the
Liberal Arts department. The new Business and Accounting Program Directors are
working on updating their courses with a final completion goal of Fall 2019. A new Interim
Program Director for Liberal Arts was hired in Fall of 2018 and one of her current projects
is to evaluate and update the English course outlines.
Graduation Satisfaction Surveys are administered to all completing students and evaluate
the effectiveness of all areas of the College. Information helps to inform administrators
and directors about their areas of focus and influences changes to program and college
orientations, course scheduling/delivery methods, and advising practices. The
dissemination of the results of this survey have been inconsistent in recent years. The
IVPSA is developing a plan to consistently administer this survey and provide results to the
necessary parties.
Many programs undergo national accreditation and are constantly using evaluation data to
ensure they are meeting the standards of their national accreditation agencies. Even
programs without national accreditation utilize their professional standards in order to
prepare students for the workforce. For example, the Massage Therapy Program, although
not accredited because the profession does not require graduation from an accredited
program, utilizes the “Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge” to guide its curriculum.
Another example are the programs that relate to Computer Technology, which have been
designed around industry standard certification and utilize Cisco’s educational curriculum
which prepares students for the Cisco CCENT and Cisco CCNA certifications upon
completion. These standards guide and inform program work, and feedback from advisory
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oards and clinical/practicum preceptors assist with evaluation of programmatic
effectiveness. Input from individual advisory boards, as well as information that Program
Directors glean from their participation in community boards and professional
organizations also helps to inform the evaluation process.
The new co-requisite math project has also undergone regular evaluation via surveys
deployed to both instructors and students. Since Fall of 2017, feedback from instructor
and student surveys has been gathered following each semester. Changes made to the
co-requisite math courses since this time, based on student and instructor feedback
include: the elimination of requiring the iLearn software in the Statistics I course (it is now
optional at the request of both students and instructor feedback); labs are now attached
directly to a lecture course as opposed to being open to students from multiple sections;
and lab courses are taught by the same instructors that teach the lecture sections (a direct
request from students).
One clear example that has been implemented in evaluation and planning of academic
programming relates directly to enrollment and the delivery of courses. Word of mouth
feedback from advisors revealed students’ concerns regarding RVCC’s pattern of course
cancellations of under-enrolled sections. This led to a Catch-22 in that students waited to
enroll in courses, but courses would be cancelled due to under-enrollment. Beginning in
Fall of 2017, the Department Chair of Liberal Arts started focusing much more on
scheduling based on utilization of enrollment data. By evaluating tallies for the previous
three corresponding semesters, and evaluating student enrollment at each Academic
Center (Figure 2.2), the Chair was able to see patterns of registration and to identify
sections of courses that filled, and sections that traditionally did not.
While this data was evaluated based on each location, the goal of this process was to
create a college-wide schedule of Liberal Arts electives that met the needs of all students
and programs, prevented overlap of courses in the two closest locations (Claremont and
Lebanon) unless both sections could fill, and decrease duplication of face to face and online
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sections in the same semester to ensure that courses were sufficiently enrolled to allow
them to run.
Considerations were made with regards to timing and location of courses which ensured
that each academic center had options for all students without any one location being
over-saturated with options. The Chair then used this information to develop a datadriven
schedule that allowed for students to meet their academic needs without having so
many sections leading to potential cancellations. As a result of the evaluation, planning,
and thoughtful building of the schedule, RVCC has had a decline in cancelled courses and
this, in combination with a concerted effort for early advising and registration, has led to a
stabilization in the schedule.
Program Evaluation
All programs at RVCC undergo program review. There are two ways in which this is done.
Programs which have national accreditation are expected to participate fully in whatever
process their accreditation agency requires. This process often involves an eight to tenyear
cycle of self-study, site visit, and review as well as yearly update reports.
Additionally, for programs that are not accredited, there is an internal program review
process which takes place on a rotating cycle and ensures that each program is reviewed
formally.
Over the past few years, the feedback from Program Directors undergoing program review
was that the information being requested was not relevant, and the data required to
answer the questions in the review process was often difficult to access. Having an
outdated program review did not serve to provide the institution with relevant information
related to program success and limited potential for academic planning. As a result of this
feedback, the Department Chairs worked on updating the program review process during
the Fall of 2017 to ensure that the information being collected and reported was easily
accessible, relevant to the information required to determine program viability for the
College, and realistic for Program Directors. In addition to updating the program review
process, the Department Chairs developed a survey for Program Directors to use to assist
them with collection of data. Data included in the program review process is both
formative and summative, qualitative and quantitative. The Program Review has sections
that ask program directors to provide data on topics such as purpose and goals,
admissions, enrollment trends, curricula, faculty and program and student outcomes.
Quantitative questions include items such as: “List program enrollments for the past three
years…” with a qualitative follow up asking “Do you have reason to believe there are
additional students in your program (e.g. second major) that do not show up [in the data
set].” This provides Program Directors opportunities to elaborate on any limitations they
may find in the Veera Bridge data set; thus eliminating the prior complaint about available
data not providing a complete picture.
Upon completion of the program review process, Program Directors provide and present
the review to the Department Chair workgroup which will allow for a discussion about each
program and its effectiveness between the Department Chairs and the Program Directors.
The Department Chair group makes recommendations about the program which may
include suggestions for improvement, continuation without changes, or may, when
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necessary, guide a suspension or closure of a program. The entire process is overseen by
the VPAA. This process was introduced to the college community during Faculty and Staff
Work Weeks in Fall of 2018 and training for all Program Directors was provided in
November 2018. The training was recorded for future use by Program Directors.
Programs that undergo national accreditation may submit their national accreditation
reports/results in lieu of the internal program review process.
River Valley has a strong history of assessment by accredited programs, and the Program
Directors of accredited programs often already have techniques to gather data that nonaccredited
programs may be able to utilize. This area is particularly true with regard to
gathering information on program graduates. In Spring of 2018, Program Directors began
a plan for accredited programs to formally share assessment and data collection
techniques with non-accredited programs. Work on this project is ongoing.
The program review process has led to a stream-lining of the programmatic offerings at
RVCC as identified in the newly updated program review schedule. This has been achieved
via removal of programs as necessary (due to low enrollment or decreased need in the
region for the training offered). Other programs have undergone the program review
process and been re-designed to better suit the need of the region. One example of this
was the Human Services Program, which was placed on hold for the 2016-2017 academic
year due low enrollment. Faculty then gathered information from local agencies regarding
the types of training that would better suit the students in this program. The curriculum
was updated based on the feedback and the program was relaunched in Fall of 2017 as the
Social Services Program.
Appraisal of Evaluation
In response to feedback from Program Directors, the Graduate Satisfaction Survey was
deployed as an electronic survey in Spring of 2018. The CCSNH System is also in the
process of implementing DegreeWorks which will help streamline the process for advisors
to track student success and retention. RVCC will implement Degree Works in 2019.
The program review process was also updated during Academic Year 17-18 as a result of
feedback from Program Directors. The updated process was created by Department Chairs
to reflect the difficulty Program Directors noted in accessing data that was being requested
as part of the process. While NOABO/Veera Bridge provides some information that can be
utilized for review of programs, it was not sufficient for the entirety of the data sets that
the program review process requested. The updated program review process was
implemented in Fall of 2018 and included a formal training for faculty during the semester
as well as a survey that Program Directors can deploy to faculty in their program to gather
necessary data. RVCC continues to look at ways in which we can use the processes of the
accredited programs to assist in data gathering for non-accredited programs.
Strengths
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The College has an abundance of qualitative data at the course and program level.
Department Chairs and Program Directors are dedicated to evaluation and review,
and actively work to make this a systematic part of the culture of all academic
programs.

Challenges
There is still a need for a consistent plan across the College, regardless of program,
for collection of relevant data to guide future programmatic planning.
Course outlines in the Liberal Arts department are in need of updating.
Projections
By the end of AY20-21, the President and VPAA will evaluate data collection
methods at the college level and work with Department Chairs and Student Services
to create a streamlined process of data collection and assessment; while
simultaneously evaluating how RVCC will implement these processes without a
dedicated Institutional Researcher
By the end of Spring 2019, the Interim Liberal Arts Program Director will have
evaluated and updated, as needed, any course outlines that are out of compliance
with the Curriculum Team standard.
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Standard 2: Planning and Evaluation
PLANNING
Year
approved
by
governing
board
Immediately prior Strategic
Plan 2011
Effective
Dates
? ? ?
2011-
2013 n/a
Website location
Current Strategic Plan 2018
Next Strategic Plan 2021
2018- https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62
2021 316264/rvcc-2018-2021-strategic-plan
2021-
2026 n/a
Year
completed
Effective
Dates
Website location
Master plan
Academic plan
Financial plan
Technology plan
Enrollment plan
Development plan
Academic Advising
Manual
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
in progress
n/a
in progress
EVALUATION
Academic program
review
Program review system (colleges and departments). System
last updated: ? 2018
Program review schedule (e.g., every 5 years)
Sample program review reports (name of unit or
program)*
Website location
Every five years if not accredited by an outside
agency
External Example: NAACLS ? See Canvas: Standard 2
Internal Review Process See Canvas: Standard 2
System to review other functions and units
Program review schedule (every X years or website location of
schedule)
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Sample program review reports (name of unit or
program)*
Other significant institutional studies (Name and web
location)*
Date
Example: Advising: www.notrealcollege.edu/advising 2014
CCSSE
2008, 2011, 2014 (see workroom)
*Insert additional rows, as
appropriate.
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box
below
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Standard Three
Organization & Governance
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Description
River Valley Community College is one of the seven colleges which make up the
Community College System of New Hampshire. CCSNH was established in 2007 by Senate
Bill 82 which initiated the transition from a State agency to an autonomous entity. The
State of New Hampshire General Statutes, Chapter 188-F provides the approval for each of
the colleges in CCSNH to award degrees upon completion of program requirements. River
Valley, while a member of CCSNH, has its own governance structure which is directly
responsible for the oversight and management of all areas of academics and scholarship
that it participates in. As a public institution, funding comes from the State of NH and is
filtered through CCSNH, but RVCC ultimately has responsibility for the administration of
that funding.
Organization
Governing Board
CCSNH has a Board of Trustees (BoT) that is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by
the Executive Council. The BoT appoints the CCSNH Chancellor; provides direction and
sets strategic goals for the system; presents capital and operating budget requests to the
Governor and Legislature; and provides policy-level oversight for the seven colleges.
CCSNH provides administrative and operational support that would be too expensive, or
impractical, for each of the seven institutions within the System to maintain for
themselves, such as risk management and legal counsel. The System Office is, in turn,
supported by an allocation of tuition revenue from each college.
Make-Up of the Board of Trustees
The CCSNH BoT is the legal authority as outlined in BoT Policy Section 100. The BoT is
made up of NH Residents and membership of the board must meet the requirements setforth
in the BoT Policy Section 120 regarding Membership and Teams. The make-up of the
board includes New Hampshire residents who are either non-voting members or voting
members as outlined in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1: Members of the CCSNH BoT
Non-Voting Members
Governor
Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of
CCSNH
President of each CCSNH college
Commissioners of Departments
of Resources and Economic
Development; Employment
Security; and Education
Voting Members (appointed by
Governor)
Four (4) members from the fields
of Business and Industry
One (1) member who is a high
school vocational/technical
education director
One (1) member who is an
alumnus of a CCSNH college
One (1) member from the field of
education
One (1) member from the health
care profession
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Two (2) members from
building/mechanical trades or
labor
One (1) member from
community service sector
One (1) member from law
enforcement
Eight (8) members of the general
public
Two (2) members who are fulltime
students enrolled at a
CCSNH college (rotates among
institutions)
One (1) member from the
technology sector
One (1) member who is an
employee of CCSNH (rotates
among institutions)
BoT meetings occur bi-monthly and operate through a committee structure with each
committee having a defined area of oversight. The Standing Committees outlined in the
BoT By-Laws include the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Audit Committee,
Academic and Student Affairs and Workforce Development Committee, Human Resource
Committee, Facilities and Capital Budget Committee, Governance Committee, Marketing
Committee, and Safety & Risk Management Committee.
The Board of Trustees, in addition to their bi-monthly meetings, hold an annual retreat for
in-depth discussion and professional development. The schedule of BoT meetings, meeting
minutes, and a full list of trustees is publically available on the CCSNH website. As
necessary, RVCC, often through the President or BAO, report to individual committees on
updates from the College.
Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees
The BoT By-Laws Article V identify the Authority of the CCSNH Board of Trustees which is
responsible not only for appointment of the Chancellor and President of the institution but
also sets compensation for administrators; prepares and adopts the budget for CCSNH
which includes each college as a separate budgetary unit; establishes tuition and fees;
manages any contracts and leases related to the buildings and structures of each college;
develops and adopts personnel policies for the colleges; advises the community colleges
with regards to strategic direction, general policies and programs; and advises colleges in
making any necessary changes to their programs to better meet the needs of the state’s
economy and changing job market. All new majors and programs any CCSNH institution
proposes must be approved by the BoT before implementation.
Article VI of the BoT by-laws is the Conflict of Interest policy and identifies that the
trustees of CCSNH must follow all statutory federal and state laws. Any violation of
Conflict of Interest policy or laws “as defined by said statute shall be reported to the Board
and acted upon by it as required by law and no person shall vote or be present for the
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action by the Board in relation to any such matter involving that person.” Policy 210 –
Expectations of Board Members also identifies that it is the responsibility of each board
member to “place the interests of CCSNH above the interests of any individual.” Further
clarification of the Conflict of Interest Policy which guides the Board of Trustees is outlined
in Policy 223 – Conflict of Interest which includes the Conflict of Interest Statement that
must be signed by each member of the Board of Trustees.
Responsibilities of the Chancellor
The Chancellor of CCSNH is the Chief Executive Officer and bears responsibility for the
overall administration and performance of CCSNH. The Chancellor is assisted by two
Associate Vice-Chancellors, one in charge of Finance & Strategic Planning, and one in
charge of HR Planning & Development. The Chancellor also directly oversees the CCSNH
Director of Communications and CCSNH Legal Counsel. Together with the BoT, the
Chancellor develops and implements the overall strategic direction of the System and
oversees the Presidents of the seven colleges.
Delegation to the College President
The BoT policies (230-250) identify that they are responsible for appointment and
evaluation of the Chancellor, who is in turn responsible for evaluation of the System Vice-
Chancellors and the Presidents. Policy 250 identifies that the College President has
responsibility for establishing the mission, vision, and strategic goals for the College
(aligned with the CCSNH mission, vision, and strategic goals). The President is also
charged by the BoT with providing “leadership to the overall management and operation of
the College including accreditation, instructional programs, regional economic and
workforce development, budget preparation, fiscal control, physical plant operation and
maintenance, human resources management, and fundraising.”
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Institutional Organization
River Valley’s internal organizational structure has undergone a large number of transitions
in the past five years. The administrative structure has been fluid with the appointment of
each President or Interim President depending on their focus for the institution. In Fall of
2017, with the removal of another Interim President, and the promotion of the Interim
Vice-President, who was on a one-year temporary assignment through The Registry of
College and University Presidents, it became clear that a more permanent, stable model
was needed. For Academic Year 17-18, the Interim President acted in the role of President
as well as Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs. This was clearly not an ideal
situation, and the Chancellor appointed an Advisor to the President to assist in oversight of
RVCC. This Advisor to the President was a President of another CCSNH college and had
previously served as the President of River Valley. This President’s familiarity with RVCC
faculty, staff, and the culture of RVCC; in addition to the energy and expertise of the
Interim President/VPASA proved to be quite successful as the College undertook a search
for a full-time President.
The Presidential search throughout Spring 2018 resulted in the hiring of President Alfred
Williams who started July 1, 2018. Simultaneously, in Spring of 2018, the decision was
made to promote internally for the role of VPAA. The Department Chair of Liberal Arts
transitioned to Interim VPAA in June of 2018, and was made permanent in January of
2019. This new model provided an ideal balance of institutional knowledge with new,
outside energy, and the college community as a whole is pleased with the appointments to
both of these positions. With the return to a more traditional, stable model of internal
governance, the organizational chart is stabilizing.
The President of RVCC serves as the Institution’s Chief Executive Officer and before
appointment must be recommended by the Chancellor and approved by the CCSNH Board
of Trustees. The President reports directly to the Chancellor and is responsible for overall
management and operation of the College including preparation and control of the
Institution’s budget as well as overall administration of the faculty and staff at the College
via an organized structure of oversight. As mentioned in Standard Two, all locations are
treated as one college and therefore all locations have the same oversight. While all
administrators are located at the Claremont campus, each Academic Center has a
Supervisor that reports directly to the President and sits on the President’s Extended
Leadership Team. Additionally, administrators are in contact with the LAC and KAC Site
Directors on as needed basis. The utilization of Vice Presidents and other administrative
staff; including Academic Center Supervisors as well as Department Heads and
Department Chairs, assists in assuring that all employees at RVCC understand their role in
the success of the Institution. While there are clear supervisory lines that employees
should follow according to the organizational chart, in general, the College abides by an
“open door” communication policy. This works particularly well because of the small nature
of RVCC and in most instances, communication occurs directly between whatever parties
need to discuss individual concerns. In some instances, communication must follow a
more formal process and this is done through Staff Forum, Faculty Forum, Department
Meetings, and Department Chair Meetings.
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Appraisal of Organization
The organizational system of CCSNH is very stable and clearly outlined. While the
organization and governance of the College has been more varied, since Fall of 2018 there
has been increased clarity in each person’s role and increased communication at all levels
of the College. The College is on much more stable footing than we were two years ago,
and the new President entered into a college that has a clearer picture of roles than it has
had in the past three years.
Appraisal of Governing Board
The Board of Trustees has clear policies and procedures that guide its roles and
responsibilities for CCSNH as a whole as well as how it interacts with each college.
Ultimately, the Governing Board is responsible for many decisions that impact RVCC
related to programming and finances, but changes to academics are always initiated by
the institution. The President of the institution serves as a bridge between the interests of
the College itself and the charge of the Board of Trustees.
Oversight of the BoT and CCSNH as a whole underwent a State of NH Legislative Budget
Audit (LBA) to provide a critical look at how CCSNH as a State funded entity is operating,
utilizing resources, and fulfilling its mission. The legislative audit identified that there was a
need for improved financial policies, development of long-term financial plans, improved
processes for oversight of budgeting and purchasing and improved need for financial
transparency. This audit was welcomed by the Board of Trustees, and Chancellor’s office,
and was well-received by the RVCC community when the Chancellor came to share the
findings. CCSNH has dedicated itself to complying with the LBA and has established a
Task Force, which includes a staff member of one of the CCSNH colleges, to address and
improve the issues brought forth.
Strengths
The organizational system of CCSNH is very stable and clearly outlined.
The Governing Board has clear policies and procedures that guide its roles and
responsibilities for CCSNH as a whole as well as how it interacts with each college.
Clear policies dictate the role of both CCSNH and RVCC governance.
The LBA has spurred improvements at the CCSNH level with regards to many
concerns at RVCC related to lack of administrative oversight.
Challenges
As one of the smallest college in the CCSNH System, it can be difficult to ensure
that RVCC’s interests are thoroughly represented in system level decisions.
Internal Governance
Periods of Transition
RVCC has been in a constant state of transition over the past six years, resulting in a lack
of clear direction related to organizational structure, strategic planning, and long term
plans for the Academic Centers. In addition to the multiple transitions, there have been
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challenges in financial stability related to fluctuations in enrollment and lack of consistency
in the BAO position. Throughout this period of time, the faculty and staff opened direct
lines of communication with the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and
Planning to express concerns. These concerns preceded the resignation of one President
and the removal of an Interim President.
Significant progress has been made since the arrival of President Williams in July 2018.
Roles have been clarified, transparency in budgeting and an increased shift towards
empowering faculty and staff has returned to the RVCC culture. Department Chairs have
been given more autonomy to create and implement academic policy, a greater emphasis
has been placed on the needs of students, and the College has started to have some very
realistic conversations at All-College Staff Meeting related to the future and planning
surrounding the Academic Centers in Keene and Lebanon. As part of these discussions,
the AVPAA positions, which oversaw the Keene and Lebanon Academic Centers, had
changes in their roles. The AVPAA of Keene moved into a full-time faculty role and was
assigned as the Department Chair of the Business department. To manage the Keene
Academic Center, a Program Specialist was promoted to Interim Supervisor. The AVPAA of
the Lebanon Academic Center was transitioned to a Center Director, but left RVCC in
Spring 2018. The Student Service Generalist that serves at Lebanon, was then promoted
to Interim Supervisor of the LAC. These changes brought the College more in line with
other colleges of its size in CCSNH and are in line with the feedback in the LBA related to
RVCC’s “increased levels of administrators.” These changes had an additional positive
impact of filling a vacant faculty role in the Business department.
Additional improvements in project completion have included the work done to update the
Standing Team Documents as well as work on the strategic plan.
Input from College Constituencies
The College President is assisted with the general administration of the College and seeks
input from faculty, staff, and students. The Standing Teams help provide leadership and
direction to RVCC through regular meetings and open communications as guided by the
Standing Teams Document and the Communications Model.
During Fall 2017, under the direction of the Interim VPASA, the oversight of academic
programming was shifted to the Department Chair group. They worked closely with the
Interim President/VPASA who oversaw the work done by the group, but ultimate control
was provided via input from all Department Chairs. The Early College Coordinator also
reported to the Interim President/VPASA to ensure the quality of these programs was
consistent with RVCC expectations. With the appointment of a Vice President of Academic
Affairs in late Spring 2018, the oversight of all academics now resides with this role who
will continue to oversee the Department Chairs and the Early College Coordinator and work
collaboratively to ensure academic quality at RVCC.
All academic programs and course offerings are reviewed by the Curriculum Team which
oversees new program proposals, new course proposals, and reviews and revisions to
current programs and courses (including discontinuation of programs or courses). The
Curriculum Team also makes recommendations regarding formatting/content of course
outlines and course syllabi. All classes, regardless of location or method of instruction
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must follow the course outlines approved by the Curriculum Team which is made up of
volunteer faculty and staff members, and the Registrar.
Students participate in RVCC governance via a number of avenues which are described in
detail in Standard Five. One example of student participation is the President of the SGA
serving on the College Council and acting to provide the student perspective to RVCC’s
Administration. Whenever possible, student input is solicited on college decisions. For
example, students recently voted to make RVCC a smoke-free campus. In the Fall 2018
Semester, SGA also voted to use some of their funds each year to fight student hunger.
Appraisal of Internal Governance
Since July 2018, internal governance at RVCC has stabilized. President Williams made
VPAA Jahn permanent, hired IAVPSA Cournoyer, HR Director Lamoureux. Increased
transparency from this new administrative team, and requests for input from faculty and
staff have had a direct positive impact on college morale.
Strengths
The stabilization of leadership at RVCC with the hiring of President Williams in July
2018 has improved college morale.
Multiple, clear lines of communication via Standing Teams and scheduled meetings
allow for multiple voices from the College to be heard.
Faculty and staff are vested in the success of the College.
Faculty and staff can request meetings directly with the Chancellor and the Vice
Chancellors as needed and RVCC has had good support from CCSNH Administration
when requested.
Promotion of the Department Chair of Liberal Arts to VPAA helps maintain
institutional knowledge on the Administrative Team.
Challenges
There are still a number of Standing Teams that may not fit with the current
administration’s goals, the Strategic Plan, and the current status of the College. A
few of the Standing Teams are redundant or their roles are outdated in the current
college structure.
Projections
By Fall of 2019, the Standing Teams will be evaluated and reorganized and the
Standing Team Document will be updated to reflect current practice.
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Standard 3: Organization and Governance
(Board and Internal Governance)
Please attach to this form:
1) A copy of the institution's organization chart(s).
2) A copy of the by-laws, enabling legislation, and/or other appropriate documentation to establish the
legal authority of the institution to award degrees in accordance with applicable requirements.
If there is a "sponsoring entity," such as a church or religious congregation, a state system, or a corporation, describe
and document the relationship with the accredited institution.
Name of the sponsoring entity
Website location of documentation of relationship
Governing Board
By-laws
Board members' names and affiliations
Board committees *
Academic, Student Affairs Workforce Development
Audit Committee
Facilities and Capital Budget Committee
Executive Committee
Finance Committee
Governance Committee
Human Resources Committee
Marketing Committee
Safety and Risk Management Committee
Major institutional faculty committees or governance
groups*
Faculty Forum
Curriculum Team
Department Chairs
Community College System of New Hampshire
http://www.ccsnh.edu
Website location
Website location or document name for meeting
minutes
https://www.ccsnh.edu/board-trustees/meetingsand-minutes
https://www.ccsnh.edu/about-ccsnh/board-trustees
https://www.ccsnh.edu/board-trustees/meetingsand-minutes
Website location or document name for meeting
minutes
Faculty Forum Minutes
Curriculum Team Minutes
Department Chairs Minutes
Major institutional student committees or governance
groups*
Student Government Association
Website location or document name for meeting
minutes
Student Government Association Minutes
Other major institutional committees or governance
groups*
RVCC Advisory Board
Program Advisory Boards
Website location or document name for meeting
minutes
RVCC Advisory Board Minutes
Program Advisory Board Minutes
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*Insert additional rows as appropriate.
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
*Board Committees meeting minutes: found on my.ccsnh.edu
*Major institutional faculty committees or governance meeting minutes: found on Canvas
*Major student institutional committee meeting minutes: found in Canvas
*Other major institutional committees: found in Canvas
Campuses, Branches and Locations Currently in Operation (See definitions in comment boxes)
(Insert additional rows as appropriate.)
Enrollment*
Location (City,
State/Country)
Date
Initiated
2 years
prior
1 year
prior
Current
year
? (FY2017 ) (FY 2018) (FY 2019 )
? Main campus 1 College Place, Claremont, NH 9/1/1968 2,115 1,930 2,186
? Other principal campuses
? Branch campuses (US)
? Other instructional locations (US) Academic Centers - Keene/Lebanon 9/1/2004 *
? Branch campuses (overseas)
? Other instructional locations (overseas)
Educational modalities
Standard 3: Organization and Governance
(Locations and Modalities)
Number of programs
Date First
Initiated
2 years
prior
1 year
prior
Current
year
Distance Learning Programs (FY2017 ) (FY 2018) (FY 2019)
Programs 50-99% on-line **
1,155 1,155 1,291
Programs 100% on-line
? Correspondence Education
Low-Residency Programs
Competency-based Programs
Dual Enrollment Programs
Contractual Arrangements
involving the award of credit
0
HTTI Lebanon, NH
2016-2017 16 0 0
*Enter the annual unduplicated headcount for each of the years specified below.
Enrollment*
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
*These enrollments are included in the Main Campus Enrollment as they are not a separate campus, but other instructional locations.
**Students do not enroll in online degree programs. All students enrolled in the College may take online courses. Enrollment reflects
any student who enrolled in an online course (unduplicated), and most students are also enrolled in face to face courses within their
program.
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Standard Four
The Academic Program

Description
River Valley Community College offers credentials including the Associate in Science,
Associate in Science with a Concentration, Associate in Arts, and Certificate Programs. In
2017-2018, RVCC offered 18 options for students wishing to pursue an associate degree
and 12 options for students wishing to pursue certificates. The RVCC Catalog is dominated
by allied health and health science fields, an area that the College is known for. The
Catalog also offers credentials in business, computer technology, education, and social
services. RVCC offers a General Studies degree for students who would like to combine a
certificate program with an associate degree curriculum that is not currently an option
through RVCC or who would like to self-design a degree. Lastly, RVCC offers a degree in
liberal arts which serves as a transfer pathway to four-year institutions.
Two programs at RVCC, Running Start and Bridge2College, serve to encourage early
college enrollment for area high school students. Running Start courses are River Valley
courses that are offered at local high school and technical centers. These courses utilize
certified high school instructors who teach the same content that is offered at RVCC under
the guidance and supervision of an RVCC faculty. The Bridge2College program allows local
high school students to attend classes at RVCC where they can earn dual college and high
school credit.
Program Length & Planning
All certificates and degrees offered at River Valley Community College lead to a credential
in a recognized field of study. The shortest program, phlebotomy, is two semesters in
length. Many of the certificate programs require at least three semesters to complete, and
all associate degree programs, including the Liberal Arts degree, require two full years;
although the time to a Liberal Arts degree can be shortened if a student commits to
summer coursework. All curriculum maps are available on the RVCC Website or are
located in our College Catalog. All programs at RVCC have published goals which highlight
the expected outcomes of the program and expectations for program completers.
All programs at RVCC have a coherent curriculum plan that is designed to take students
from introductory to advanced knowledge based on course content and sequence.
Students may only alter the sequencing of courses in a curriculum with a waiver from the
Program Director, and a Program Director may only waive a pre- or co- requisite with
sufficient evidence that the student can meet the readiness of the course. Curriculum plans
include a series of courses, each with a written, approved course outline. The course
outline serves as a static document for the course to ensure that all instructors teaching
the course are working towards the same outcomes and includes the following
information: a standard course description, specific course learning goals, pre-requisite or
co-requisite course requirements, instructional and assessment methods, and the content
outline. The course outline can only be changed through a formal process of assessment
by the RVCC Curriculum Team.
All programs of study are outlined in the College Catalog, and programs also use the
Catalog to identify any specific programmatic admissions processes; to define successful
38 | P a g e

progress through the program; and to identify grading policies. All classes have a course
syllabus, a separate document from the course outline, which further identifies course and
classroom expectations of the individual instructor teaching the course.
All program designs must meet the CCSNH Board of Trustees policies for degree
requirements as outlined in BoT Academic Policy 620.02. All new programs must be
approved through the Curriculum Team, the VPAAs, and the BoT.
Budgeting for Programs
All programs submit budgets each year to the Business Affairs Officer who is responsible
for evaluation of programmatic budgets and fitting them into the college budget each year
as described in Standard 7. Program Directors, in consultation with additional faculty in
their programs, are responsible for identifying the financial needs of the academic program
and for developing a budget that, while fiscally responsible, will also meet the needs of
program improvement. Many programs, with the exception of liberal arts, general studies,
and biological science, are further financially eligible for Perkins Grant funding under the
classifications as outlined by the State of NH Department of Education.
Assuring Academic Quality
Programmatic Oversight, Implementation, and Review
As shown in the organizational structure (p. x), each program has a Program Director who
is responsible for oversight of all aspects of the program including faculty, budgets, mode
of program offering, and curriculum. All Program Directors are further supported by the
Department Chair who provides an additional layer of oversight for the integrity and
quality of academic programs. While the direct oversight of the curriculum is the
responsibility of the Program Director, any curricular changes that a Program Director
wishes to implement must be approved through the process outlined in Figure 4.1. Final
approval for programmatic changes is the responsibility of the VPAA.
Many programs at RVCC, particularly those in the allied health, health science, and
nursing, have additional oversight reporting through their national accreditation agencies.
Many programs also have individual advisory boards who assist with oversight of the
program and work specifically to ensure that programs are relevant to the community and
industry in which graduates will be employed.
Figure 4.1: Programmatic changes approval process
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Any new program that the College would like to be developed must go through the CCSNH
BoT (policy 640.02). If RVCC wishes to create a new program, the College must first
present a letter of intent to the VPAA’s of all CCSNH colleges with sufficient rationale,
identified need, anticipated enrollment, and costs of the new program. Upon VPAA
approval of the proposal, RVCC undergoes an internal process of curriculum development
including sequencing of courses and course outlines for each course that will be included in
the program. These documents must be approved by the Curriculum Team through their
standard process. Upon approval by RVCC’s Curriculum Team, the new program is
presented to the CCSNH Board of Trustees for final approval before RVCC can implement
the new program.
All current programs have been required to undergo the in-college program review process
developed in 2010. Because of concerns that the existing process did not capture relevant
information, in the Spring 2018 semester, the Department Chairs and the VPAA redesigned
the program review document, creating a process and a new timeline for each program’s
review. This new process is being implemented during the 2018-2019 academic year, and
training of the Program Directors in the new process is ongoing.
Academic Planning at the Academic Centers
Academic planning falls under the purview of the VPAA who works in conjunction with the
President. For example, in Fall 2017, the Interim President/VPASA and the College Advisor
began working on a process to clearly define the roles of the Claremont campus and the
Keene and Lebanon Academic Centers. They carefully examined student populations,
finances, and distribution of programming. This process was further supported by the
promotion of the new VPAA and the hiring of the President in Summer 2018. Going
forward, feasibility studies will be conducted in order to make data-informed decisions
about focus directions for each of RVCC’s Academic Centers.
Early College and Other Off-Campus Educational Experiences
Academic experiences that take place off-campus include the Running Start Partnerships
as well as the partnerships with local facilities for the Allied Health, Nursing, and Early
Childhood Educational practicum, internship, clinical and fieldwork experiences. Courses
offered for college credit through RVCC’s Workforce Development Program are also offered
through local businesses as described later in Standard Five. All MOU’s for these programs
are overseen by the Office of the VPAA and housed in the Academic Affairs Office.
RVCC’s Educated Person and English Language Expectations
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All programs at RVCC strive to follow the Philosophy of the College which defines an
educated person. Each program sets its own threshold for meeting this philosophy based
on the individual expectations of the program through development of appropriate course
competencies listed in the course outline documents. Assessment of the philosophy is
discussed in Standard Eight.
All students enrolled in degree programs at RVCC must complete College Composition as a
required course per BoT policy 620.02 for both Associate of Science and Associate of Arts
degrees. All college courses are taught in English and students must take the Accuplacer
Assessment in Writing before entering into College Composition. The Accuplacer test is
issued in English. Students who identify as ESL and may need additional assistance prior
to starting classes are directed to local agencies in Claremont, Keene, and Lebanon who
specialize in this area. No ESL services are available at RVCC.
Information Literacy is assessed at the college level through the Library which provides a
tutorial as well as an online assessment.
Appraisal of Assuring Academic Quality
RVCC has policies and procedures in place to ensure the quality of the Academic Programs
offered by the College and to comply with CCSNH and college expectations.
To improve clear and effective communication, in Spring 2018, Department Chairs and
Curriculum Team began to discuss consolidating course outlines with course syllabi. This
consolidation of documents was completed in Fall of 2018, and the pilot implementation is
currently taking place.
Discussions at both the Department Chair level and the Curriculum Team level have
centered on refining and improving policies and procedures related to academic planning
so that planning can continue despite any transitions in administration. This increase in
ownership of academic planning was supported by both the Interim President/VPAA and
the Advisor to the President under the previous administration and has continued support
under President Williams and VPAA Jahn.
Throughout the transitions that have occurred, RVCC has followed the process for approval
for Substantive Changes as it relates to the College including updates in administration,
identification of changes to accredited programs, and plans for development of the LAC.
River Valley faculty and staff have remained committed to ensuring academic quality for
students, and often have employers comment on the quality and well-roundedness of
RVCC graduates.
Undergraduate Degree Programs
Academic Core
All associate degree programs at RVCC follow the BoT policies for the Liberal Arts Core
which includes, at minimum, the following courses with the remainder of the minimum 60
credits being based on the requirements of the individual program:
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Certificates that do not have the option of an associate degree can be made into an A.S.
degree through the General Studies program. Other programs, such as early childhood,
offer stackable credentials such as Level I & II certificates that can also be turned into an
associate degree. Although there are no general education requirements, all certificate
programs employ outcomes that identify mastery of the specific discipline, some of which
may include skills learned in liberal arts core courses.
RVCC follows the CCSNH BoT policy with regards to general education requirements (as
outlined above in Table 4.1) and which are identified in the College Catalog (page 19). The
Associate of Arts degree, by definition, has a greater emphasis on general education
requirements. The only Associate of Arts degree offered at RVCC is the Liberal Arts
degree. This can also be used as a transfer degree for students who wish to continue their
education at a 4-year institution. The Liberal Arts degree affords the student the most
choice in electives. Most Associate of Science degrees are more restrictive and the
remaining credit loads are filled with required program specific courses; very few of the
A.S. degrees offer unrestricted electives, but students are allowed some choice in their
Liberal Arts Core.
Students graduating from RVCC have met the requirements of each course in their
program, met the graduation requirements of the College, and for associate degree
earners, have successfully completed the Liberal Arts core. As the Philosophy of the
College is threaded through all programs, they have also met the outcomes for the
educated person. One CCSNH initiative that RVCC hopes will bring our completion rates
even higher is the Open Education Resources (OER) initiative. Currently, the Associate
Professor of Biological Science represents RVCC at the system level. Lowering textbook
costs for students may help them take more classes, and may encourage them to
complete in a timely manner.
Appraisal of Undergraduate Degree Programs
Many of the A.S. degrees are designed with a specific employment goal in mind or are
subject to the requirements of national accreditation standards which restricts the amount
of choice that can be given to a student with regards to electives. These programs are
designed to ensure that the student meets the educational and technical standards
required for employment. Credits beyond the Liberal Arts Core are designed specifically to
meet the needs of the program while still keeping the credit load within a reasonable
number for an associate degree. Students who wish to transfer to a four-year institution
can pursue the Liberal Arts degree which is modeled after the first two years of most fouryear
liberal arts colleges.
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One area that came to light during the self-study process was the lack of a structured
assessment plan in some of the liberal arts areas. While the accredited programs, as well
as mathematics and sciences, have standard assessment timelines, English and social
sciences do not. Administration supported the current VPAA in attending the Assessment
Institute in Indianapolis in October 2018. VPAA Jahn was able to bring back a wealth of
practical knowledge in the area and has been working on an assessment plan designed
first for liberal arts courses, then moving to the liberal arts program as a whole, then to
college-wide assessment.
General Education
The general education requirement is clearly outlined, as described above, in the Liberal
Arts Core of RVCC that all associate degree programs must meet. The Liberal Arts Core
directly informs and prepares students to meet the definition of the educated person as set
out in the RVCC Philosophy. The Philosophy further identifies that students who graduate
from RVCC should “[embrace] an understanding and appreciation of self in today's socially
and technologically complex world, and through the stimulation of intellectual curiosity,
learners will be able to improve their lives and contribute something of value to the
community of which they are a part.” The goal of all programs, certificate or degree, is to
prepare students to enter the world with increased skills relevant to their individual goals.
All programs follow a developed program map which ensures that the general education
requirements of the arts and humanities, science, social science, and mathematics inform
and support the technical programs. Program Directors are thoughtful in their placement
of the general education courses in their program maps and often general education
courses are used as pre-requisite or co-requisites for technical program courses.
RVCC follows the CCSNH BoT policy which requires a minimum of 20 credits in general
education courses. Approximately 12-13 of these credits will come from the Liberal Arts
Core, with the remaining credits being determined for each program depending on the
need of that program, but coming from Humanities/Fine Arts/Language; Quantitative
Reasoning; Science; or Social Science. The Associate of Arts Degree requires even more
credits (37-40) in the general education subjects. The variability in credit load is a result of
math courses being either 3 or 4-credit courses, and lab science having variable credit
loads.
Appraisal of General Education
The general education requirements at RVCC follow the CCSNH System requirements and
are designed to meet the standards set forth in River Valley’s definition of an educated
person. The requirements ensure that students graduating from River Valley have
exposure and meet minimum standards in English, math, science, social science, and
humanities. Programs are allowed to fill electives as they see fit to meet the specific
nature of the degree being awarded. This format allows for students to have some choice
in their coursework while still allowing Program Directors the ability to ensure that the
curriculum of study meets with the rigor and expectations of the industry they are
preparing students for. For those students who intend to transfer to a four-year
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institution, the general education requirements provide a foundational basis to prepare
them for more advanced studies.
The Major or Concentration
Each program follows a program map which builds from early levels of knowledge to more
advanced levels as the student progresses from 100 to 200 level courses. Each program
has written goals and objectives. Each course in the program also identifies specific goals
and skills that will be obtained upon completion.
Program goals and outcomes are informed by accreditation standards, industry standards,
employment requirements, or transfer expectations. Many technical programs, including
certificate programs, use input from advisory boards and/or accreditation standards to
guide the knowledge base that the students must meet.
Appraisal of the Major or Concentration
Program Directors have autonomy in development of the curriculum and how the program
specific coursework will be implemented. However, development of the coursework which
supports the curriculum of the individual program is created with the same framework as
the general education requirements ensuring that coursework is appropriate for the
student’s level of knowledge while progressing the student from simple knowledge to
complex mastery. Content of the program specific courses is informed in many of the
allied health, health science, and nursing programs by national accreditation standards.
Additional input on curricular expectations of programs comes from advisory boards and
industry standards. Program Directors regularly evaluate their courses for relevancy to
ensure graduates are prepared for their chosen fields. The Curriculum Team requires
courses be reviewed every five years but most Program Directors do this on a more
frequent basis.
Integrity in the Award of Academic Credit
Academic Credit & Course Objectives
River Valley awards two levels of credentials: the certificate and the associate degree. All
credentials meet standards of the CCSNH Board of Trustee Policy 620.02 regarding
requirements for graduation. All associate degrees must contain a minimum of sixty
credits with at least 15 credits taken directly at RVCC (not transferred in) including a
minimum of 8 credits in the major or specific field of study. Depending on the degree
being awarded, either the Associate in Science or the Associate in Arts, there are slight
differences in the core. All students in either track must earn a minimum of 20 credits of
liberal arts courses including College Composition, Math, Humanities/Fine Arts/Language,
Science, and a Social Science. The Associate of Arts degree requires additional credits in
Literature/Composition/Communications and at least one Lab Science. The remaining
credits must include 20-24 (for an A.A.) or 30 (for an A.S.) program specific credits. In
the case of the A.A. in Liberal Arts, the additional credits must include 12-15 additional
Liberal Arts electives from the core listed plus 9 credits of open electives. Certificate
programs at RVCC also follow the BoT policy and must be at least 6 credits in length with
all courses designed to meet competencies in an occupational field.
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All program curricula, as well as course competencies, are reviewed before implementation
by the Curriculum team. Their role is to ensure, by working with Program Directors, that
all programs meet the requirements as outlined above. All Program Directors are directly
responsible for developing course content including required competencies. These
competencies are expected to be written in measurable terms and are evaluated by the
Curriculum Team before implementation in the classroom. The Program Director, through
the development of the course outline, also identifies what teaching and assessment
methods may be used for each course. Individual faculty have the academic freedom to
deliver content as they see fit so long as they meet the course competencies, follow the
learning objectives, and develop clear assessment techniques to measure objectives.
Regardless of credential issued by the College, no developmental coursework/credits can
count towards graduation, and all students must earn a minimum Cumulative Grade Point
Average of 2.0 or higher.
Credit Load
Because the standard for a Bachelor’s Degree is 120 credits, the System instituted a 60
credit max for an Associate Degree. This helps to limit student cost and smooth the way
for students to transfer their two-year degree to a four-year institution if they wish to do
so. RVCC has a large number of accredited programs in the Allied Health and Health
Science fields. There is always a struggle for these programs to fall within the 60 credit
limit as they need to meet both the System requirements for Liberal Arts courses, include
all required content for accreditation and preparation of the student, and also include
clinical experiences which are credit bearing. In addition, the Medical Laboratory
Technician program has two pathways, one which allows for direct transfer to UNH
provided the student takes a specific set of RVCC electives. This pathway bears a slightly
higher credit load. Other programs at RVCC also rise above the 60 credit limit. This is
because all RVCC math courses and science courses are four credit courses versus the
CCSNH requirements which are based on math and science courses that are either three or
four credits. RVCC science and math courses are designed for smooth articulation with the
University System of NH. The liberal arts electives that students choose can also have an
impact on the total credit load of a program.
All credits awarded follow the CCSNH System policy 650.01 related to contact hours and
are consistent with NECHE policy. A credit hour is defined as one hour of classroom or
laboratory work and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for a
15 or 16-week semester. One hour of instructional time is considered 50 minutes of direct
instruction.
Direct faculty instruction (“lecture classes”) have a one to one ratio. One hour of
instruction per week equates to one credit when calculated over a full semester (fifteen or
sixteen weeks). Laboratory classes must have two or three hours per week over a fifteen
or sixteen-week semester to equate to one contact hour. The lab hour determination is left
to the Program Director responsible for the course and must be approved by the
Curriculum Team. Once the ratio is established as part of the course outline, it cannot be
adjusted without going through the Curriculum Team process. Any course taught on a
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shortened schedule (less than 15 weeks) must meet the semester equivalents for a credit
load outlined in Table 4.2
Additional courses described in this policy that are offered by River Valley include Clinicals,
Fieldwork, Affiliations, Practicums, and Internships. Contact hours for these classifications
are 60 minutes of direct instruction. All courses in these categories follow the policies
outlined by the CCSNH BoT with regard to credit load (outlined in table 4.2) and level of
oversight by RVCC faculty. Each of these courses has a course outline with measurable
objectives and, depending on the classification, is overseen by RVCC faculty in different
ways. Clinicals are taught in a patient/client care setting exclusively by RVCC faculty and
are found in the Nursing, Massage Therapy, and Occupational Therapy Assistant programs.
Fieldwork, Affiliations, and Practicums are found in the Occupational Therapy Assistant,
Physical Therapist Assistant, Medical Laboratory Technician, Respiratory Therapy,
Radiologic Technology, Medical Assistant and Early Childhood Education programs.
Students in these courses are working in direct patient/client/child care facilities, and with
approved preceptors while receiving regular oversight via electronic and in person visits by
RVCC faculty. Internships are offered in the Phlebotomy program and have oversight
similar to Fieldwork and Practicums. While many of RVCC’s programs have required
competencies, we have no programs that are completely competency based.
Guided Pathways & Program Mapping
In Fall of 2016, RVCC began rigorously working on program mapping with a goal of
introducing Guided Pathways and Academic Focus Areas. Many programs, particularly
those related to the Allied Health and Health Science fields already had program maps that
were provided to students during their first meeting with their academic advisors. Since
Fall of 2016, every program has worked to streamline their program maps to ensure
students are aware of which semester courses should be taken and the order which they
should follow. All current program maps are housed in Canvas for access by any advisor
to follow.
Early College
Our most prominent dual-enrollment program, Running Start, allows our courses to be
taught at the high school facility by high school teachers who meet our credential
requirements. Every high school instructor is overseen by a RVCC faculty member whose
job it is to visit the classroom and assess that the content being taught meets the course
competencies and is being delivered at the same rigor as it would be if offered directly at
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the College. Faculty mentors often have to work closely with new instructors to ensure
that the RVCC standards are met. All Running Start classroom visits are documented with
standard forms and are evaluated and housed by the Running Start Coordinator.
Academic Policies and Academic Freedom
All students must earn a passing grade on either a 10-point scale or a 7-point scale (for
many allied health and health science programs) in order to be awarded credit. Passing
grades for courses may vary between departments per individual program policy.
RVCC policies outlined in the Student Handbook (pages 22-24) define Satisfactory
Academic Progress at the College as the Cumulative GPA of credits earned against the total
number of credits attempted in the student’s program of study. They also provide
definitions and guidelines for the classifications and criteria for Academic Probation and
Academic Suspension. Policies are clear and identify academic as well as Financial Aid
implications for continuation in programs. The Student Handbook also identifies policies by
which the student has the right to appeal decisions impacting their progress through the
college programs.
All Program Directors are directly responsible for developing course content including
required competencies. These competencies are expected to be written in measurable
terms and are evaluated by the Curriculum Team before implementation in the classroom.
The Program Director, through the development of the course outline also identifies what
teaching and assessment methods may be used for each course.
Individual faculty have the academic freedom to deliver content as they see fit so long as
they meet the course competencies, follow the learning objectives, and develop clear
assessment techniques to measure objectives. Faculty are responsible for following the
course outline to ensure that students are assessed appropriately for all outcomes and that
grading criteria from classroom assessments are accurately reflective of student work.
The Student Handbook defines cheating and plagiarism in the Student Code of Conduct
Section C (page 44). Each faculty member is responsible for ensuring that all submitted
student work is their own work or cited properly.
Course Transfer & Credit Awarded for Prior Experience
Each course that a student wishes to transfer into RVCC is evaluated by the Program
Director who oversees the content area of the course being requested for transfer
evaluation. This ensures that content experts in each field are directly involved in the
decision for which transfers can be completed. Program Directors evaluate course
descriptions, and when needed, course syllabi to ensure similar objectives, assessments,
and credit load prior to accepting courses for transfer. Our high school program, Running
Start, is described above and all credits for the dual enrolled students are awarded directly
by RVCC. CBE’s are described below and require students meet the final assessment of
the course before being approved for credit.
Transfer of credit from outside institutions follows a clear policy which is available in the
Student Handbook (page 17). The College allows for transfer in of any course which
meets our course objectives and competencies, has the same or greater credit load, and is
no greater than ten years old. Occasionally, a content expert will allow for transfer of a
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course greater than ten years old if a student has sufficient, additional proof that they
have maintained currency in the content area since taking the course. Students who plan
to take a course at another college during their time at RVCC can submit paperwork for
pre-approval for transfer to ensure that their course will transfer in upon successful
completion. Certain programs in Allied Health have additional transfer of credit policies to
remain in compliance with program accreditation requirements and individual transfer
policies are provided on the program website or in the program handbook. It is the
responsibility of the Program Director to accurately communicate all program-specific
transfer policies to students.
River Valley’s policy on credit award for prior experiential learning is through a process
called Credit by Examination (CBE). If a student can demonstrate sufficient reason why
their prior experience has met the course objectives, they may challenge the course.
Typically, this is done in a manner which provides the student a chance to take a
comprehensive final exam, comprehensive practical exam, and/or submit a portfolio of
work that demonstrates mastery of the course objectives. The grade issued for this CBE is
identified as the course grade on the student’s transcript. Students can also earn credit by
transferring completion of College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Exams or Advanced
Placement (AP) coursework.
Per the CCSNH BoT Academic Policy 620.02, RVCC may only issue associate degrees for
which a student has completed 15 credits being offered directly by the College (not
transferred in) including a minimum of 8 credits in the major or specific field of study.
Many of the programs in allied health and health science, which require credit loads above
60 credits, do not allow for direct transfer of program-specific courses, but will only allow
transfer of credit related to general education credits. This continues to ensure that all
students complete at least 25% of their coursework directly at RVCC. Certificate programs
also follow CCSNH Policy which states that a minimum of 6 credits, or 25% of credit load,
whichever is greater, must be completed at the College awarding the degree. For
example, even our smallest credit program, phlebotomy, which has only six (6) credits,
will allow transfer in of the phlebotomy course from another school (3 credits) for students
who wish to complete their phlebotomy internship at one of our clinical locations. These
students therefore, may transfer in only 50% maximum of their credit load towards their
Phlebotomy certificate, while still taking the RVCC phlebotomy internship and completing
50% of their credits at RVCC before being awarded their certificate.
Articulation Agreements
River Valley has articulation agreements with a number of four-year institutions in the
State of NH and has worked closely with those institutions in recent years to ensure that
course competencies align for ease of transfer. This work has been most rigorously done in
the math and science fields to ensure that students at RVCC can transfer their coursework
to any of the NH Universities.
Program & Course Scheduling
Scheduling of programs and courses follows the program maps as described above. RVCC
does not offer any programs on an abbreviated schedule, but does offer courses via
distance education. All online courses follow the same outline as the same course offered
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in the face to face format and are treated equivalently to a face to face course. Students
participating in the online version of a course must meet the same course objectives as
those students seated in the same course being offered in a face to face format. Online
courses are included as part of faculty evaluation processes similarly to evaluation of any
other course material. Each semester, the Liberal Arts department runs one or two “late
start” courses to allow students who may need to alter their schedules time to register for
additional electives. These courses also follow the requirements of the traditional, fullsemester
length course but do so over a fewer number of weeks. This shortening of the
schedule requires that the courses meet for longer periods each week in order to meet
contact hour requirements.
All students enrolled in either 100% online courses or off-campus courses such as
internships and practicums have regular access to their faculty through our online learning
management system, email, phone, or physical contact during site visits. All students
enrolled in distance education must log in through their RVCC issued Easy Log-In, a
username and password issued to all students to access their Canvas account, Student
Information System, and email. This Easy Log-In is individual to each student and is the
only option we have as a college to ensure that students who register for an online course
are the ones completing the course.
Appraisal of Integrity in the Award of Academic Credit
RVCC does a very good job of ensuring authority and administrative oversight of all
courses for which institutional credit is awarded. The College follows the BoT policies and
all awards of institutional credit have oversight by the VPAA. The VPAA is responsible for
evaluating the schedule each semester to ensure that courses are scheduled for
appropriate lengths of times to meet credit loads. Department Chairs or Program
Directors evaluate all faculty to ensure that course objectives are being met and that
courses are meeting as outlined on the schedule. During faculty evaluations where a
faculty is teaching online, Department Chairs and Program Directors are given access to
online courses to evaluate the virtual learning environment. Courses taught off campus
through Running Start are evaluated each semester by faculty partners to ensure that high
school partners are teaching at the same level and providing comparable assessments as
would be given in the college environment.
One challenge that we have faced as a college is having a central location for reporting
acts of plagiarism or cheating. Most issues are held at the program level but faculty have
brought up concerns related to cross-college cheating and plagiarism issues. Previously,
all issues were reported to the VPAA which allowed a common repository of information.
This ensured that if a student violated student policies in multiple courses, there was a
central location for evaluation of repeated student issues. This process was discontinued
with the VPAA holding the position in 2015 but was reinstated in Fall of 2018 so all
plagiarism issues are again housed in the Office of Academic Affairs.
One opportunity we have as a small college is that we are consistently working to reinvent
and update Liberal Arts electives to keep them current. In the past two years we have
introduced the following courses: Introduction to Drawing, Introduction to Painting,
Understanding World Religions, as well as Introduction to Counseling Theories and
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Techniques. The Department Chair of Liberal Arts has also worked diligently to monitor
course tallies and collect data regarding which courses are most popular among students
and has worked to rotate these courses to ensure that they are available as needed for
students and are offered without competing against each other to ensure enrollment is
sufficient for all courses to run in the semester they are offered. One area that the
Department Chair group has recently discussed is offering certain courses only in certain
semesters and documenting this in the Catalog to allow students to have more specificity
when working with their advisors on course planning. Additionally, many of our students
attend college part-time, while most program maps are planned for the full-time student.
This sometimes poses challenges for academic advisors to assist students in a complete
plan if they are attending part-time. Currently the College is exploring making greater use
of our technology to deliver instruction. For example, RVCC’s Claremont campus uses the
College’s Zoom software to tie in students from the Lebanon and Keene Academic Centers
for classes only offered in Claremont.
Strengths
Integrity of academics is overseen through a number of avenues including the
Program Director, Department Chair, VPAA, and Curriculum Team
RVCC has strong academic policies which follow and are supportive of CCSNH
System Policies.
River Valley has a strong academic Catalog which delivers a variety of programs
unique to the State of NH and the State of VT.
Challenges
Due to required content and the way credit hours are calculated, it is difficult for
many programs to remain within the recommended 60 credit limit suggested for an
associate degree.
RVCC does not yet have systematic adoption of Open Education Resources.
Projections
The VPAA, in conjunction with the President, Department Chairs, and other relevant
college constituents will develop a long term plan related to academics for
Claremont as well as the Lebanon Academic Center and the Keene Academic Center
by Spring 2020.
By Spring 2020, RVCC will have a plan for systematic adoption of OER.
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Standard 4: The Academic Program
(Summary - Degree-Seeking Enrollment and Degrees)
Fall Enrollment* by location and modality, as of Census Date
Degree Level/ Location &
Modality
Associate's Bachelor's Master's
Clinical
doctorates (e.g.,
Pharm.D., DPT,
DNP)
Professional
doctorates (e.g.,
Ed.D., Psy.D.,
D.B.A.)
M.D., J.D.,
DDS
Ph.D.
Total Degree-
Seeking
Main Campus FT 140 140
Main Campus PT 485 485
Other Principal Campus FT 0
Other Principal Campus PT 0
Branch campuses FT 0
Branch campuses PT 0
Other Locations FT 0
Other Locations PT 0
Overseas Locations FT 0
Overseas Locations FT 0
Distance education FT
0
Distance education PT
0
Correspondence FT 0
Correspondence PT 0
Low-Residency FT 0
Low-Residency PT 0
Unduplicated Headcount Total 625 0 0 0 0 0 0 625
Total FTE 512.00 512.00
Enter FTE definition: Degrees Awarded, Most Recent 1 FTE =
student taking
at least 12
credits
Year 119 119
Notes:
1) Enrollment numbers should include all students in the named categories, including students in continuing education and students enrolled
through any contractual relationship.
2) Each student should be recorded in only one category, e.g., students enrolled in low-residency programs housed on the main campus should be
recorded only in the category "low-residency programs."
3) Please refer to form 3.2, "Locations and Modalities," for definitions of locations and instructional modalities.
* For programs not taught in the fall, report an analogous term's enrollment as of its Census Date.
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
Students at RVCC apply to the college, not to an academic center. All students are considered at part of the data for RVCC-Claremont but any student can
take classes at the Keene Academic Center, the Lebaonon Academic Center, and online. Students do not enroll at a specific location or modality.
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Standard 4: The Academic Program
(Summary - Non-degree seeking Enrollment and Awards)
Fall Enrollment* by location and modality, as of Census Date
Degree Level/ Location &
Modality
Title IV-Eligible
Certificates: Students
Seeking Certificates
Non-Matriculated
Students
Visiting
Students
Total Nondegree-Seeking
Total degreeseeking
(from
previous page)
Grand total
Main Campus FT 17 17 17
Main Campus PT 74 74 74
Other Principal Campus FT 0 0
Other Principal Campus PT 0 0
Branch campuses FT 0 0
Branch campuses PT 0 0
Other Locations FT 0 0
Other Locations PT 0 0
Overseas Locations FT 0 0
Overseas Locations FT 0 0
Distance education FT
0 0
Distance education PT
0 0
Correspondence FT 0 0
Correspondence PT 0 0
Low-Residency FT 0 0
Low-Residency PT 0 0
Unduplicated Headcount
Total 91 0 0 91 91
Total FTE 60.00 60 60.00
FTE = student taking at
least 12 credits
Enter FTE definition:
Certificates Awarded, Most
Recent Year 71
Notes:
1) Enrollment numbers should include all students in the named categories, including students in continuing education and students enrolled
through any contractual relationship.
2) Each student should be recorded in only one category, e.g., students enrolled in low-residency programs housed on the main campus should
be recorded only in the category "low-residency programs."
3) Please refer to form 3.2, "Locations and Modalities," for definitions of locations and instructional modalities.
* For programs not taught in the fall, report an analogous term's enrollment as of its Census Date.
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Standard 4: The Academic Program
(Headcount by UNDERGRADUATE Major)
? Number 3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year
of Prior Prior Prior Year Forward (goal)
For Fall Term, as of Census Date credits* Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019
Certificate (add more rows as needed)
? Accounting 23.00 37.00 27.00 30.00 28.00 30.00
Advanced Accounting 35.00 3.00 24.00 21.00 - 10.00
Advanced Machine Tool 24.00 595.00 225.00 73.00 - n/a
Healthcare Applications 32/33 n/a n/a n/a n/a 950.00
Business Management 30.00 22.00 27.00 30.00 18.00 25.00
Computer Technology: Networking 18.00 62.00 80.00 42.00 6.00 42.00
Cybersecurity Security & Healthcare 18.00 7.00 18.00 15.00 - 12.00
Early Childhood Education Level 1 12.00 21.00 33.00 24.00 12.00 15.00
Early Childhood Education Level 2 24.00 18.00 36.00 54.00 45.00 45.00
Human Services 24.00 - 9.00 n/a n/a n/a
Infant & Toddler 18.00 n/a n/a n/a 39.00 40.00
Massage Therapy 37.00 375.00 330.00 394.00 265.00 275.00
Medical Administrative Assistant 18.00 132.00 119.00 36.00 120.00 125.00
Medical Assistant 42.00 242.00 285.00 218.00 122.00 125.00
Phlebotomy 6.00 36.00 24.00 18.00 39.00 39.00
Social Services 18.00 n/a n/a n/a 21.00 21.00
Total 1,550 1,237 955 715 1,754
Associate (add more rows as needed)
? Accounting 60/62 200 220 296 243 245
Business Management 60/62 636 615 491 436 438
Computer Technology: Networking 60 212 223 115 132 150
Computer Technology: Information Tech 60 n/a n/a n/a 63 60
Cybersecurity & Healthcare IT 60 144 112 52 58 85
Creative Writing 69 34 24 24 n/a n/a
Criminal Justice 60 235 172 107 232 235
Early Childhood Education 63-65 307 418 597 430 430
General Studies: Cert-Degree 60 60 38 34 25 20
General Studies: Self-Designed 60 0 7 14 11 n/a
Human Services 63-65 162 86 9 n/a n/a
Liberal Arts 60 476 766 658 531 530
Mathematics & Science: Biological Science 60 126 220 176 131 60
Mathematics & Science: Engineering 60 119 229 37 20 n/a
Mathematics & Science: Math 60 10 17 8 4 n/a
Mathematics & Science: Physical Science 60 0 10 n/a n/a n/a
Medical Laboratory Technician 65-70 97 36 145 213 220
Nursing 65/66 459 514 552 595 705
Occupational Therapy Assistant 68 421 385 327 361 324
Physical Therapist Assistant 70 225 338 375 370 370
Radiologic Technology 69 106 324 239 278 280
Respiratory Therapy 62 315 311 314 294 310
Social Services 60 n/a n/a 93 224 220
Teacher Education 64 67 90 16 4 -
? Undeclared 2076 1,701 1,621 1,492 425
Total 6,487 6,856 6,300 6,147 5,107
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Baccalaureate (add more rows as needed)
?
Undeclared
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Total Undergraduate 8,037 8,093 7,255 6,862 6,861
* Enter here the number of credits students must complete in order to earn the credential (e.g., 69 credits in an A.S. in Nursing)
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
1) All credits are reported only based on a student's first declared major. For example, a student may list General Eduaction:
Exploratory as their first major, but have a second major of Phlebotomy; their credit load is only listed under General
Eduation: Exploratory program, even though they are taking credits in the Phelbotomy program as well. 2)Credit Loads for
Degree Completion have ranges due to the variablity in credit load for math and science elective courses as well as variablity in
54 | P a g e

Standard 4: The Academic Program
(Headcount by GRADUATE Major)
? For Fall Term, as of Census Date
? Number 3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year
of Prior Prior Prior Year Forward (goal)
credits* (Fall 2 ) (Fall 2 ) (Fall 2 ) (Fall 2 ) (Fall 2 )
Master's (add more rows as needed)
?
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Doctorate (add more rows as needed)
?
Total 0 0 0 0 0
First Professional (add more rows as needed)
?
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Other; specify (add more rows as needed)
?
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Total Graduate 0 0 0 0 0
* Enter here the number of credits students must complete in order to earn the credential (e.g., 36 credits in an M.B.A.)
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
No graduate level programs offered
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Standard 4: The Academic Program
(Credit Hours Generated and Information Literacy)
Credit Hours Generated By Department or Comparable Academic Unit
? 3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year
? Prior Prior Prior Year Forward (goal)
(FY 2015) (FY2016) (FY 2017) (FY 2018) (FY 2019)
Undergraduate (add more rows as needed)
? Allied Health 895 1,157 1,078 1,025 1,025
Business 908 1,014 768 597 601
Health Science 557 467 557 636 1,331
Liberal Arts 2,964 2,827 1,526 2,354 1,649
Math 971 836 786 508 510
Nursing & Respiratory Therapy 762 770 1,584 797 800
Science & Technology 998 1,022 956 945 945
Total 8,055 8,093 7,255 6,862 6,861
Graduate (add more rows as needed)
Information Literacy Sessions
Main campus
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Sessions embedded in a class 33 34 43 20
Free-standing sessions
Branch/other locations
Sessions embedded in a class
Free-standing sessions
Online sessions
URL of Information Literacy Reports: https://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/puksta-library/information-literacy
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
Thes credit hours generated are based on the current departmental structure although departments have been reorganized a number of
times in the time frame that this data sheet covers. In Fall 2016, the BoT changed the requirement for an Associates degree to contain
only College Composition as a required course, eliminating the second English requirement. This accounts for a large portion of the
decreased credits from Fall 2016 to Fall 2017 in the Liberal Arts Department.
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Standard 4: The Academic Program
(Credit Hours Generated and Information Literacy)
Credit Hours Generated By Department or Comparable Academic Unit
? 3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year
? Prior Prior Prior Year Forward (goal)
(FY 2015) (FY2016) (FY 2017) (FY 2018) (FY 2019)
Undergraduate (add more rows as needed)
? Allied Health 895 1,157 1,078 1,025 1,025
Business 908 1,014 768 597 601
Health Science 557 467 557 636 1,331
Liberal Arts 2,964 2,827 1,526 2,354 1,649
Math 971 836 786 508 510
Nursing & Respiratory Therapy 762 770 1,584 797 800
Science & Technology 998 1,022 956 945 945
Total 8,055 8,093 7,255 6,862 6,861
Graduate (add more rows as needed)
Information Literacy Sessions
Main campus
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Sessions embedded in a class 33 34 43 20
Free-standing sessions
Branch/other locations
Sessions embedded in a class
Free-standing sessions
Online sessions
URL of Information Literacy Reports: www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/puksta-library/information-literacy
https://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/puksta-library/information-literacy
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
Thes credit hours generated are based on the current departmental structure although departments have been reorganized a number of
times in the time frame that this data sheet covers. In Fall 2016, the BoT changed the requirement for an Associates degree to contain
only College Composition as a required course, eliminating the second English requirement. This accounts for a large portion of the
decreased credits from Fall 2016 to Fall 2017 in the Liberal Arts Department.
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Standard Five
Students

Description
River Valley Community College serves a rural area of New Hampshire with a diverse
population of students. The majority of our students are non-traditional as we have many
programs that attract students who are looking for a change in career. In academic year
2017-2018, RVCC served 859 credit students and 229 non-credit students. The average
age of the student population was 30 and the majority of the students (78%) attend part
time (Table 5.1). Approximately 80% of students are eligible for Financial Aid.
Students attend River Valley for a variety of reasons. Some wish to take one or two
courses in order to improve work skills or are part of a formal Workforce Development
collaboration between RVCC and a local business; some students wish to earn a certificate
to get a foot in the door in a particular field; some wish to pursue an associate degree to
further their education or transfer; and some students are attending four-year schools and
attend classes with us to supplement their programs of study while they are home during
the summer. River Valley serves many students who are first-generation college students.
Some of these students apply directly out of high school, and others decide to obtain a
college degree later in life. Often students are not prepared for college level courses,
which presents a set of unique challenges. RVCC has worked to ensure all students are
supported by providing college readiness courses, co-requisite courses, and tutoring. The
variable student populate allows the College to see amazing growth in the students it
serves.
Admissions & Financial Aid
The College mission, ethics, and core values are woven throughout all activities related to
students. RVCC is an open access college which means that any student with a highschool
degree, GED (General Education Development), or HiSET (High School Equivalency
Test) is eligible to attend. There are some programs and courses that have additional
benchmarks and admission requirements. These are clearly communicated to students
through published programmatic application packets or through course pre-requisite
information. RVCC follows all federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination. For
applicants who wish to apply to RVCC but already hold a terminal degree from another
college, their college transcript is accepted in lieu of a high school equivalency.
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Admissions policies are clearly accessible on the college website and follow the CCSNH BoT
Policy 740 – Admission of Students. The College Catalog helps students identify a
program of study and counsels students on the matriculation process. Specific programs,
which may have additional admission requirements such as technical or psychomotor skills
that are required for employment or related to accreditation standards, can be found in the
College Catalog as well. Each Program Director in charge of programs with additional
admissions requirements is responsible for ensuring that any additional program
admissions requirements are clearly stated in the program documentation. Program
Directors work with the Admissions Office to ensure that admissions requirements for their
programs are current in the admissions database.
All college and program admissions must adhere to the College’s Non-Discrimination Policy
which is identified in the College Catalog (pg. 79), on the RVCC website, and on the first
page of the college application.
Many programs in the Allied Health, Health Science and Nursing departments have specific
admission requirements and often require prior completion of high school Biology, Algebra,
Chemistry, or Physics in order to ensure proper preparation for the rigors of the program.
These specific requirements are listed in each programs individual Catalog page. If
students wish to enter these programs and do not have proof of completion of these
requirements, the College provides comparable course work that Program Directors will
accept in lieu of high school requirements. For example, the RVCC course CHEM030R –
Introduction to Chemical Principles serves as the equivalent to high school Chemistry and
can be accepted towards program admission.
Financial Aid information is provided to all students and can be found on the RVCC
website, in the College Catalog (pgs. 8-9), and in the Student Handbook (pg. 30). The
Director of Financial Aid and Admissions Counselors travel to each Academic Center at
least one day per week to meet with students who may not be able to travel to the
Claremont location where these offices are permanently housed.
Recruitment & Retention
As a result of the variable student population, it is important for RVCC to evaluate data
related to student demographics. Student demographic information is culled from
admissions application and registration forms, and the College identifies the typical age
range, gender, part vs. full-time status, and veteran status. These data inform our
admission outreach both to target the students we already attract and to identify gaps in
our demographics.
Nearly half of the students who are enrolled at River Valley Community College are ages
25 and under. This tells us that recent high school graduates make up a large percentage
of our applicants. We acknowledge that high school students applying to college often
apply to many schools before deciding where they will go, suggesting that we receive a
much higher percentage of applicants from traditional students than our enrollment
reflects. Our enrollment team focuses on this cohort of students by maintaining good
relationships with school counselors, attending regional college fairs, holding “Quick Admit”
days at area high schools, hosting Discovery Day, and by participating in college planning
nights held at area high schools and colleges.
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RVCC students who are 25 and over make up the remaining 53% of our college
population. This cohort is more difficult to recruit as they are adults who have already
established themselves in their personal and professional lives. To reach out to this
population, our enrollment team advertises and hosts open houses prior to each semester
and holds Quick Admit days every month at each of our locations. The team also
participates in many community events including job and employment fairs, home shows,
farmer’s markets, sporting events, and civic events. The enrollment team also works with
the New Hampshire and Vermont Department of Employment Security, New Hampshire
and Vermont Adult Learning, and local correctional institutions.
The majority of students at RVCC are part time students. In consideration of this, we
assume that most of our applicants are balancing work and family life and will continue to
do so when they enroll at RVCC. To accommodate this working population, RVCC offers
courses and programs with varying meeting times on campus, online, and in hybrid
formats to accommodate students’ busy lives. We see our online course enrollment data
continue to climb with an increase of credits sold reaching over 15% in Spring 2019. To
recruit this population of working people, our team reaches out to area employers,
including businesses who offer tuition reimbursement to ensure they have our materials
available to their employees. RVCC is a member of the local Chambers of Commerce,
Rotary, and other civic organizations. The team also reaches out to local social service
agencies and participates in events to help unemployed and under employed people find
an educational path that fits their lifestyles.
RVCC is home to the Respiratory Therapy program, which is the only program of its kind in
NH; and the Medical Laboratory Technician, Occupational Therapy Assistant, and Physical
Therapist Assistant programs which are the only of their kind in the Vermont/New
Hampshire area. For these programs, recruitment efforts are targeted in geographic
regions that are not typically served by RVCC. These programs have, in recent years,
attracted New England students from as far away as Berlin, NH and Burlington, VT to the
north; Rutland, VT to the west, and Laconia, NH and Nashua, NH to the west and south.
While the majority of our students are NH Residents, we do attract out of state students
occasionally coming from as far away as Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Washington State.
These applicants often identify internet sources or local family and friends as ones who
bring RVCC to their attention.
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An additional area of recruitment comes from collaboration between RVCC’s Career and
Transfer Specialist, Enrollment Specialists, and the Coordinator of Workforce Development.
This collaboration helps to strengthen the recruitment efforts so we can better serve our
local populations by providing accurate and reliable information regarding the services and
support that RVCC can provide. For example, Career and Transfer Services and Early
College Coordinator provide guidance and outreach to potential high school and career and
technical education students interested in pursuing programs at River Valley. Career
Services provides interest assessments to guide students into a program path that aligns
with their academic goals while the Early College Coordinator provides direction around
credits, classes and dual enrollment as a liaison between secondary and post-secondary
education programs and oversees the Running Start program.
One program example of this collaboration is Pathway2Success. A cohort of ten students
from three different high schools will complete thirty-three credits in the IT, Computer
Networking or the Cybersecurity programs by the time they graduate from high
school. This includes class time and experiential learning activities.
The Fujifilm Digimatix (Lebanon, NH) and Hypertherm (Lebanon, NH) project is a
collaborative effort between Early College, Transfer and Career Services, and Workforce
Development to provide students at Lebanon High School and Thetford Academy with dual
high school and college credits for classes completed at both sites. Students will also have
the opportunity to learn about the manufacturing industry at these two businesses through
work based and experiential learning opportunities.
Career Services and Workforce Development collaborate by providing outreach to
businesses. Outreach and services include advertising paid internships and employment
opportunities to students at RVCC and providing career fairs. Workforce Development
offers a needs assessments and provides information and resources to businesses
interested in creating training programs using RVCC for credit, non-credit, and
apprenticeship programs; and assists in recruiting and admitting students to RVCC who
may not have otherwise utilized our services.
Our core values and ethics are woven into all prospective and current student interactions
by ensuring students and families are treated with respect; faculty and staff are responsive
to questions and timely in communications; and by providing realistic expectations of what
it is to be a successful student and what support services (tutoring, disability services,
student workshops, etc.) are available as described later in this Standard.
The 2018 Strategic Plan identifies goals for recruitment and retention of students. For any
program holding individual accreditations from national organizations, such as those in the
allied health, health science, or nursing & respiratory therapy departments, recruitment
and retention measures are required parts of their accreditation reporting. Any program
that does not have an individual national accreditation for reporting are subject to the incollege
program review process to determine viability and measures regarding retention
and graduation rates are utilized in this process. This information, coupled with other
data as listed above which identifies gaps in our student demographics, provides the
enrollment management team a means to promote programs to targeted populations.
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Student Readiness for College
The Student Success Center (SSC) has many services for students who may require
additional support. Students are provided with information about these services at New
Student Orientation. Services provided in the SSC include disability services, tutoring
services, and workshops such as resume writing, study skills, test taking strategies, and
advice on how to prepare for the Accuplacer exam.
RVCC uses the Accuplacer Reading and Writing Sections to determine college readiness
and placements for College Composition, some science courses and some other programspecific
college courses.
Traditionally, the mathematics department had also used Accuplacer testing as a method
of evaluation of student readiness for college level math; however, over the past two
years, the math program at RVCC has been revamped as described in Standard Two. The
transition from the previously utilized developmental math pathway to a co-requisite
model of mathematics, required an update to the mathematics advising process. The
team worked to develop a standard classification of math readiness based on multiple
measures: SAT scores, previous math courses, and the students’ academic goals. The
team chose to switch from the Accuplacer to SAT scores for the co-requisite project as a
means of eliminating placement barriers. The SAT is part of the state assessment package
at high school; thus, a vast majority of NH high school students take the SAT and it is paid
for by the state. For those students who are non-traditional or do not have SAT scores, the
process utilizes a personal advising session which evaluates previous math courses as well
as the student’s comfort and understanding of necessary math concepts. The use of
multiple measures as a math advising tool came as a recommendation from both the Dana
Center Multiple Pathway Research and Complete College America resources.
Standards related to academic expectations, removal from the College related to academic
standing, and the appeal process are clearly explained in the Student Handbook (pgs. 22-
23). Students are directed to the online Student Handbook at New Student Orientation
each semester.
Student Financial Aid
Approximately 80% of students at RVCC qualify for Financial Aid, and all students are
encouraged to fill out the FAFSA as part of the admissions process. The CCSNH Financial
Aid Handbook spells out the process for students to follow and is located on the RVCC
website. New students are also sent Financial Aid packets that offer step-by-step
instructions. The Financial Aid Office staff is available to assist students in answering
questions and to assist students and families in the FAFSA filing process. The staff will sit
with the student either in the library computer lab or the Student Success Center and help
guide them through the FAFSA application.
The Financial Aid Office is responsible for reviewing a student’s financial aid records,
collecting required documentation and determining financial aid awards. RVCC aid is based
on the Standard Federal Methodology Need Analysis. Students must meet all federal
requirements including Satisfactory Academic Progress. The SAP policy is on the RVCC
website and in the Student Handbook.
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Registered students can see their charges online through the student SIS (Student
Information System). Costs are published on the RVCC website and available through the
Business Office. If a student chooses to borrow loans, they are required to complete
Entrance Counseling which helps a student understand their rights and responsibilities as a
loan borrower and also understand student loan debt and loan repayment. The Net Price
Calculator, an online tool to help students and families estimate costs, is also available
through RVCC’s website.
River Valley also encourages students to apply for both need-based and merit scholarships
through the RVCC website and through the CCSNH AwardSpring program, which matches
students with potential scholarships.
Appraisal of Admissions & Financial Aid
RVCC works hard to support all students regardless of their past educational and personal
experiences throughout all student services. The College has standard admission policies,
and any program with special admissions requirements clearly identifies the policy in
written admissions material.
The advising processes for the co-requisite math courses have been clearly developed over
the past two years in response to a change in the mathematics program at RVCC. The corequisite
model is offered at all locations and allows students who would traditionally be
placed into developmental courses to be placed into entry-level mathematics courses with
real time support to mitigate the persistence factor. This model allows students to
complete the entire developmental pathway throughout their time in their gateway
mathematics course. This is done through an appropriate, structured, lab-model of extra
learning. This model has shown promising results in the math department (Figure 5.2 –
“Co-Requisite Math”, Rich Andrusiak, Department Chair, Math). The co-requisite model
decreases time in college level Math completion and cost for students, and is showing
excellent results in regards to student retention. This success is most visible when looking
at the two-year success rate, defined as a student passing a gateway college Math course
within two years of starting the math pathway. Previously, when using the traditional
model of developmental coursework prior to a college level course, the pass rate was lower
than the national average of 21%. In 2012, there was a redesign of the developmental
pathway which resulted in an increase of the two-year pass rate to 34% (the first increase
in the third column of Figure 5.2). This improvement continued between 2012 and 2017
after the first math redesign. In Fall of 2017, with the implementation of the co-requisite
model; pass rates of student taking college level math increased significantly to 76% and
in Spring of 2018 to 94%. This is well beyond the national average of students in a
developmental pathway. Even more interesting is that the co-requisite groups now have
success rates similar to those students who do not require placement into the co-requisite
programs, students who are considered “college ready” based on math advising. Success
rates of non-co-requisite students was 78% in Fall 2017 and 88% in Spring 2018. Not
only is RVCC now well above the national average for successful completion of a math
class, regardless of entry level course, but co-requisite students are finding success in
their college-level math classes at a rate equivalent to their peers who do not require
additional math assistance. This success has allowed students who previously may be held
up in their education due to lack of success in math to continue in their programs at the
same rate as their peers.
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The College, under the direction of the Liberal Arts Department Chair is working on a plan
to identify utilizing a co-requisite model for English courses, much in the same way that
the math department has utilized. This plan will be the goal of the Liberal Arts department
to be completed upon hiring of a full-time English Faculty member.
RVCC takes its financial responsibility to students seriously and works individually with
students to ensure that they understand the cost of their education. Multiple avenues of
funding are available to students including loans, grants, and scholarships.
Student Services & Co-Curricular Experiences
The mission of RVCC is reflected in how the College addresses the needs of its students.
RVCC offers a variety of supports for students while they work to achieve academic
success.
RVCC offers course and program offerings that occur during the day, evening, or in the
online environment. Regardless of when and how students are taking courses, or if they
are attending labs, clinicals, practicums, internships, or fieldwork; they are supported by
the entire Student Services department. The overarching goal of Student Services is to
retain students and help them meet their goals. Another goal is to build confident learners.
Student Service staff are available by email, phone, or in-person appointment, and we are
exploring the option for students to be able to Zoom/Skype with staff members as needed.
RVCC provides New Student Orientation three times per year, free tutoring services,
alternate testing and disability services, workshops and guest speakers.
Through the Student Success Center, any student, with appropriate documentation, may
request an evaluation of class accommodations by the Disabilities Coordinator. These
class accommodations are relayed to each individual faculty member and copies signed by
the student and the faculty member are housed in the Disabilities Coordinator’s office.
Training for all faculty related to Disability Services is provided at New Faculty Orientation
and additional consultation on a case by case basis is provided by Department Chairs to
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adjunct faculty in conjunction with the Disabilities Coordinator. When necessary, CCSNH
legal counsel is contacted to ensure compliance with all applicable laws.
The Disabilities Coordinator is based out of the Claremont campus, but spends one day per
month at the KAC and meets with students at the LAC by appointment. She is also
accessible by phone and email. Disability services are explained on the college website in
addition to the full application packet that each student is provided upon making a request
for accommodations. Faculty provide the following statement on their syllabi:
All students have access to multiple modes of tutoring including peer-tutoring, faculty
tutoring, master tutoring, and Smarthinking Online Tutoring which is embedded in Canvas
and available to students at no extra charge. In the Fall of 2017, with the advent of the
math co-requisite model, drop-in math tutoring was implemented. Drop-in math tutoring is
available to students at all three locations, and the Science department offers “Open Lab
Sessions” for students in all science courses. Non-math related tutoring is available to all
students by appointment.
All students have access to the library via remote access through their Easy Log-In.
Students can access the Library Catalog, as well as all electronic journal resources twentyfour
hours a day, seven days a week. Library service information is found in the College
Catalog (pg. 16) and in the Student Handbook (pg. 15).
The College follows its non-discrimination policy in all dealings with students. The nondiscrimination
policy is located on the website and in the Student Handbook and focuses
on providing a community atmosphere grounded in mutual respect, dignity, and integrity;
while prohibiting any discrimination as defined under applicable law.
The College website provides information on all college services available to students.
During New Student Orientation students are provided information on Safety, Student
Handbook policies and content, RAVE (electronic alert system for school closure and delays
or other emergencies on campus), Student Support Services, Career Services, Financial
Aid, the Bookstore, Student Government Association, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society,
Library Resources and Canvas. At Orientation, students are also introduced to
expectations of the classroom, expectations of behaviors as students, and an orientation to
course syllabi. Many programs also hold individual program orientations or information
sessions to alert students to program-specific policies. All students at Orientation are
shown to the college website as well with directions on how to find out more information
about the topics listed above. Orientations take place at Claremont and Keene.
RVCC has a number of clearly identified and published ethical standards which guides all
aspects of student services. These policies are identified in the Student Handbook (page
30-34) and via CCSNH BoT Policies.
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Academic Advising
All Program Directors and Academic Advisors are trained in academic advising and assist
their advisees in determining the best course placement for program courses based on the
student’s previous high school and college work and their ability to meet course prerequisites
before being registered for a course. Advisors, in consultation with the
students, review previous college work to determine if transfer of credits is possible. In
addition, Academic Advisors use program maps and discussions with the students to
determine the best course placement and course load options for the student each
semester. All program requirements and standards of programs are outlined in the
Catalog, on our website, and through individual program maps which are available to all
advisors through Canvas.
When needed, the Disability Coordinator can assist with developing an accommodation
plan in conjunction with an academic plan and will discuss with the student best course
placement and best course pairings. For students who may be undecided about the
direction of their academic programming, career services are available for student help
with career assessment to help determine best program placement. Career and Transfer
services are funded by the Carl D. Perkins grant through the NH Department of Education
and information on this service is posted for student access.
As a smaller institution, RVCC is a “high touch” environment for students. RVCC offers
free tutoring, routine meetings with Program Directors and faculty, and the Financial Aid
Office, Business Office, Registrar, and Library staff are readily available to assist students.
These offices regularly offer drop-in services, just as the RVCC faculty do. Faculty and
staff at RVCC are committed to supporting their students in their career paths from start to
finish. One example of this that occurs on a regular basis is when a student decides to
change their major. There is a typically a personal “hand off” of students from the advisor
of the program they are leaving to the advisor of the program they are interested in.
Making face to face introductions helps ensure that the students follow through with the
correct person to assist them in making the decision when changing majors. Former
advisors and new advisors stay in contact throughout the process to ensure that the
students files are transferred and appropriate paperwork is completed. Faculty and staff
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are also guided by the CBA (pgs. 27-29) which outlines Service to Students as a job and
professional responsibility (pg. 12).
Wrap-Around Services
President Williams and his administrative staff have made wrap-around services for
students a priority. In Fall 2018, knowing that 50% of community college students report
being food insecure, the College sought out donations from local grocery distributers to
begin a food pantry on campus. SGA immediately became interested and pledged $2000
per semester to fund free food for students. RVCC became a registered distribution site
with the NH Food Bank in November 2018, and now fresh vegetables, meat, dairy
products, and shelf-ready foods are always freely available for students to have on campus
and to take home. Many students are open about their struggles with food insecurity, and
frequently comment on how they appreciate the free food and how it helps take a weight
off their shoulders and helps them focus in school.
River Valley has also been exploring transportation options for students. Claremont is a
fairly rural area, and RVCC is just far enough outside of the city of Claremont proper that
commuting to the school can pose a barrier for students. In Fall 2018, the IAVPSA began
work with Southwestern Community Services in an effort to put RVCC on their regular bus
route. Beginning with Summer Semester 2019, River Valley will be a regular stop, and will
pilot a program to provide bus passes via student ID card.
RVCC staff have also been renovating the lactation space for mothers on campus. The
Claremont space was woefully inadequate, and the spaces at the KAC and LAC needed
some furnishings. An ad-hoc committee quickly formed, met to explore best practices for
lactation rooms, and wrote to a local furniture store to ask for support. Love’s Bedding
and Furniture responded enthusiastically to the request, and offered new furniture,
lighting, and decorations for the room in Claremont. Next, the committee wrote a grant
and was awarded $5000 to purchase a hospital grade pump, privacy screens, refrigerators,
microwaves, and other appropriate equipment for the three locations. As of the writing of
this report, the three spaces are under renovation with an “unveiling” planned for later this
spring.
Physical & Mental Health Services
As a result of the widespread nature of the area we serve, and the lack of residential
services on campus, there are no physical or mental health services provided by the
College. Instead, the College serves the mental and physical health of its students in two
distinct ways. The first is through the College StART Team. The StART team is a
committee made up of faculty and staff from all three locations. This team holds weekly
meetings to bring any student concerns, whether they be academic, personal, behavioral,
or crisis-related forward and to determine a plan to resolve, observe, or intervene as is
appropriate. The College has compiled information on area support services available for
both physical and mental health needs of students, communicated via brochures, posters,
and the website. All syllabi are required to have the Title IX Statement on them with
contact information of RVCC’s Title IX representative. The statement also includes contact
numbers for local crisis centers in Claremont, Keene, and Lebanon.
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In Fall of 2018, a group of students, staff, and faculty attended Green Dot training. After
this, RVCC implemented a CSSAPP Committee (a grant-funded initiative for
Comprehensive Campus Sexual and Relationship Violence and Stalking Prevention
Planning) consisting of the Disabilities Coordinator, 1 Academic Advisor, 2 Program
Assistants and 1 faculty member; and has participated in the Bridges out of Poverty
program. These initiatives help RVCC employees gain a deeper insight into the impact and
prevalence of challenges that many of the College’s students face. They also help create
an awareness and sensitivity, as well as resources, for students in complex situations. The
College also has developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with WISE, Turning
Points Network, and the Monadnock Center for Violence prevention as well as developed
MOU’s with the three police departments that serve the towns for each RVCC location. The
identification and partnership with these local resources assists our students who may be
in need of services beyond those we can provide on campus.
Student Representation in College Governance
RVCC has student representation in campus governance in a number of ways, all outlined in
the RVCC Standing Teams Mission and Purpose Document:
One student member sits on the College Council, usually the President of SGA or
their designee (pg. 7)
One Senior level student sits on Graduation Team (pg. 19)
The Judicial Team has a total of four voting members elected as follows (pg. 21):
o Two (2) faculty or staff selected by the College President or other
appropriate college official(s).
o Two (2) students selected by the Student Senate or other appropriate
student group
A total of four (4) alternate voting members may be selected as follows:
o Two (2) faculty or staff selected by the College President or other
appropriate college official(s).
o Two (2) students selected by the Student Senate or other appropriate
student group.
Students sit on interview teams as appropriate and as determined by the interview
team chair
Co-Curricular Opportunities
Students can further enhance their educational experience at RVCC by joining the Student
Government Association or program-specific clubs, or by participating in college sponsored
field trips. Recent trips include Swamp Bat games (New England Collegiate Baseball
League Team in Keene, NH), Manchester Monarch Games (mid-level professional hockey in
Manchester, NH), Boston Red Sox games, and trips to the Body World exhibit in both
Portland, ME and Boston, MA.
At RVCC, any student group can develop their own club as long as they follow the by-laws
for the Student Government Association (SGA). There are some student groups that are
very active on campus such as the Massage Therapy Club, Phi Theta Kappa, and the
Biomechanics Club for physical therapist assistant students. All students have the
opportunity to participate in the Student Government Association which regularly supports
student activities including bringing speakers to campus. Recent guests have spoken on
topics such as LGBTQ issues and politics as they relate to Constitution Day. SGA also helps
organize the on-campus food pantry as well as the end of the year celebration for
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students. Student Govenerment uses the College’s student funds to help reimburse
students for CPR certification, health club memberships, and scholarships to cover
admission to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
Student Services Staff
At RVCC all employees in Student Service Areas are certified through a formal employment
process directed by the Human Resources office. Once a candidate application is certified
through HR processes, they are subject to a formal interview process to evaluate that the
candidate has the necessary qualifications and skills to carry out their job. Upon hire, staff
are trained by experienced personnel and are encouraged to attend any available trainings
provided at the CCSNH system level or college level that pertain to job skill improvement.
All staff are evaluated yearly by their managers through a formal process as outlined in
the Staff Collective Bargaining Agreement (pg. 20).
Academic Records
The College follows regulatory guidance and makes public its policies related to information
contained in the permanent academic record of students and follows policies related to the
retention; safety and security of records; and the disposal of records. It is important to
note that disability records are held separate from a student’s academic record. Permanent
Academic Records are maintained according to the policies and guidelines set forth by the
CCSNH retention record schedule instituted by the CCSNH risk management/legal
counselor. The Permanent Academic record includes the transcript that is in Banner or,
prior to 1993, the academic transcript is housed in a fire-proof cabinet in the Registrar’s
office. Old paper grades are stored in a fire-proof cabinet in the storage room in the onestop
area in Claremont. Change of grade or grade appeals are also held in the Registrar’s
office.
Evaluation of Student Services
Evaluation of Student Services takes place in various ways. For example, a “New Student
Orientation Survey” is given at the end of each session and tutoring evaluations for each
academic year are analyzed during the summer Student Success Center retreat. Previous
discussions about this survey identified the need for it to be broader in scope and to
include questions linked directly to the effectiveness of the tutoring for the student. The
Graduate Satisfaction Survey asks questions regarding many areas of Student Services.
Appraisal of Student Services & Co-Curricular Activities
RVCC has a formal process for hiring and evaluation of student services job duties and has
begun to fill roles that had been left unfilled under previous administrations. All staff keep
student success at the forefront of everything they do. Wrap around services have made a
positive impact on students, and the recent hiring of an Enrollment Coordinator and the
Interim Associate VP of Student Affairs have brought new energy and stability to this area.
The College has a strong culture of support for the student population as evidenced by the
clear policies for academic advising, the commitment of the College to utilizing the corequisite
math model, and support for college activities.
Strengths
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The implementation of co-requisite math programming led to increased student
success.

Strong community partnerships provide physical and mental health services for
students.
Strong Student Affairs and SSC staff are committed to student support and success.
The Financial Aid Office works closely with students to help them pay for college in a
fiscally responsible manner.
Challenges
Each Program Director or Academic Advisor chooses how they will monitor their
advisees; while there is an advising manual, there is no standard method of
advising across the College.
Projections
Working in conjunction with the VPAA and the AVPSA, staff and faculty will train on
DegreeWorks by Fall 2019.
The IAVPSA will review and update the Student Handbook by Fall 2019 and will
develop a regular timeline for annual review.
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Standard 5: Students
(Admissions, Fall Term)
Complete this form for each distinct student body identified by the institution (see Standard 5.1)
?
Credit Seeking Students Only - Including Continuing Education
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Goal
Prior Prior Prior Year (specify year)
(FY 2016) (FY 2017) (FY 2018) (FY 2019) (FY 2020)
Freshmen - Undergraduate ?
Completed Applications ? 431 386 325 367 375
Applications Accepted ? 429 386 321 367 372
Applicants Enrolled ? 293 273 218 253 256
% Accepted of Applied 99.5% 100.0% 98.8% 100.0% 99.2%
% Enrolled of Accepted 68.3% 70.7% 67.9% 68.9% 68.8%
Percent Change Year over Year
Completed Applications na -10.4% -15.8% 12.9% 2.2%
Applications Accepted na -10.0% -16.8% 14.3% 1.4%
Applicants Enrolled na -6.8% -20.1% 16.1% 1.2%
Average of statistical indicator of
aptitude of enrollees: (define below) ?
Transfers - Undergraduate ?
Completed Applications 173 163 133 184 186
Applications Accepted 173 163 132 184 186
Applications Enrolled 131 120 89 137 140
% Accepted of Applied 100.0% 100.0% 99.2% 100.0% 100.0%
% Enrolled of Accepted 75.7% 73.6% 67.4% 74.5% 75.3%
Master's Degree ?
Completed Applications
Applications Accepted
Applications Enrolled
% Accepted of Applied - - - - -
% Enrolled of Accepted - - - - -
First Professional Degree ?
Completed Applications
Applications Accepted
Applications Enrolled
% Accepted of Applied - - - - -
% Enrolled of Accepted - - - - -
Doctoral Degree ?
Completed Applications
Applications Accepted
Applications Enrolled
% Accepted of Applied - - - - -
% Enrolled of Accepted - - - - -
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Standard 5: Students
(Enrollment, Fall Term)
Complete this form for each distinct student body identified by the institution (see Standard 5.1)
Credit-Seeking Students Only - Including Continuing Education
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Goal
Prior Prior Prior Year (specify year)
(FY 2016 ) (FY 2017) (FY 2018 ) (FY 2019) (FY 2020)
UNDERGRADUATE ?
First Year Full-Time Headcount ? 59 67 45 92 94
Part-Time Headcount ? 713 707 829 1,065 1,075
Total Headcount 772 774 874 1,157 1,169
Total FTE ? 16 16 15 15 16
Second Year Full-Time Headcount 158 161 143 64 70
Part-Time Headcount 423 383 303 222 230
Total Headcount 581 544 446 286 300
Total FTE
Third Year Full-Time Headcount
Part-Time Headcount
Total Headcount 0 0 0 0 0
Total FTE
Fourth Year Full-Time Headcount
Part-Time Headcount
Total Headcount 0 0 0 0 0
Total FTE 9 5 3 4 4
Unclassified Full-Time Headcount ? 54 54 34 24 20
Part-Time Headcount
Total Headcount 54 54 34 24 20
Total FTE
Total Undergraduate Students
Full-Time Headcount 271 282 222 180 184
Part-Time Headcount 1,136 1,090 1,132 1,287 1,305
Total Headcount 1,407 1,372 1,354 1,467 1,489
Total FTE 25 21 18 19 20
% Change FTE Undergraduate na -16.0% -14.3% 5.6% 5.3%
GRADUATE ?
Full-Time Headcount ?
Part-Time Headcount ?
Total Headcount 0 0 0 0 0
Total FTE ?
% Change FTE Graduate na - - - -
GRAND TOTAL
Grand Total Headcount 1,407 1,372 1,354 1,467 1,489
Grand Total FTE 25 21 18 19 20
% Change Grand Total FTE na -16.0% -14.3% 5.6% 5.3%
?
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Standard 5: Students
(Financial Aid, Debt, Developmental Courses)
Complete this form for each distinct student body identified by the institution (see Standard 5.1)
? Where does the institution describe the students it seeks to serve?
(FY16) (FY17) (FY18)
? Three-year Cohort Default Rate 13.4 13.9 13.3
? Three-year Loan repayment rate 52.3 49.9 48.3
(from College Scorecard)
3 Years
Prior
2 Years
Prior
Most
Recently
Completed
Year
Current
Year
Goal
(specify
year)
(FY16) (FY17) (FY18) (FY19)* (FY20)
? Student Financial Aid
Total Federal Aid $4,987,590 $4,731,650 $3,908,408 $1,975,079 $1,900,000
Grants $1,384,039 $1,380,457 $1,207,262 $635,782 $1,200,000
Loans $3,603,551 $3,319,916 $2,675,918 $1,331,943 $2,600,000
Work Study $32,059 $31,277 $25,228 $7,354 $25,000
Total State Aid $166,845 $141,441 $151,718 $63,172 $150,000
Total Institutional Aid $2,750 $57,250 $16,300 $12,000 $25,000
Grants $2,750 $57,250 $16,300 $12,000 $25,000
Loans NA NA NA NA NA
Total Private Aid $36,304 $52,122 $45,541 $40,000
Grants NA NA NA NA
Loans $36,304 $52,122 $45,541 $40,000
Student Debt
Percent of students graduating with debt (include all students who graduated in this calculation)
Undergraduates 62% 67% 65% 67% 65%
Graduates
First professional students
For students with debt:
Average amount of debt for students leaving the institution with a degree
Undergraduates $10,513 $13,046 $12,600 $12,192 $12,000
Graduates
First professional students
Average amount of debt for students leaving the institution without a degree
Undergraduates $9,620 $8,447 $6,603 $3,653 $5,000
Graduate Students
First professional students
Percent of First-year students in Developmental Courses (courses for which no credit toward a degree is granted)
English as a Second/Other Language NA NA NA NA NA
English (reading, writing, communication skills) 5% 3% 4% 2% 1%
Math 17% 14% 9% 6% 3%
Other 2% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
*Current year is based on 2018-2019 aid year. Aid for spring 2019 has not disbursed at this time.
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Undergraduate Admissions
information
Completed
Applications
Applicants
Accepted
Applicants
Enrolled
? Category of Students (e.g., male/female); add more rows as needed
Male 111 111 74
Female 254 254 177
Not available 2 2 2
20 and under 127 127 81
21 to 25 87 87 58
25 and older 153 153 114
Non-minority 161 161 115
Minority 15 15 9
Unknown 191 191 129
Graduate Admissions information
Standard 5: Students
(Student Diversity)
Complete this form for each distinct student body identified by the institution (see Standard 5.1)
For each type of diversity important to your institution (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, first generation status, Pell
eligibility), provide information on student admissions and enrollment below. Use current year data.
Completed
Applications
Applicants
Accepted
? Category of Students (e.g., male/female); add more rows as needed
Applicants
Enrolled
Undergraduate Enrollment
information
Full-time
Students
Part-time
Students
Total
Headcount
FTE
Headcount
Goal
(FY2020)
?
Category of Students (e.g., male/female); add more rows as needed
Male 52 455 507
Female 112 826 938
Not available 0 37 37
20 and under 66 794 860
21 to 25 40 164 204
26 and older 58 352 410
Unknown 0 8 8
Non-minority 90 924
Minority 7 77
Unknown 67 372
Graduate Enrollment information
Full-time
Students
Part-time
Students
? Category of Students (e.g., male/female); add more rows as needed
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
Total
Headcount
0
0
0
0
0
0
FTE
Headcount
Goal
(FY2020)
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Standard Six
Teaching, Learning & Scholarship
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Description
River Valley Community College prides itself on the quality of the academic staff it recruits
and retains, and the academic product that they produce. Faculty at River Valley are
primarily white, reflective of the region; and primarily women, reflective of the high
number of female dominated Allied Health and Health Science fields that the College
supports. Faculty are classified as either full-time or adjunct, and in recent years there
has been a decrease in the number of full-time faculty due to budgetary restrictions. In
light of this, course needs have been met through the hiring of adjunct instructors. The
decline in numbers of total faculty has been in response to decreased enrollment and more
efficient course scheduling as highlighted in Standard Two.
The academic staff consider the mission of RVCC in all decision making processes to
ensure that they are meeting the needs of each student individually, as well as of the local
communities and region as a whole. As a small community college, River Valley’s primary
focus is not on scholarship or research but rather on improving the education levels of all
students who walk through our doors. Academic staff participate in a variety of teaching
and learning activities to improve their own effectiveness inside and outside of the
classroom, and all members of the academic staff pride themselves on getting to know
their students beyond just interactions in the classroom through supervision of student
activities, tutoring, advising, and informal mentoring.
Faculty & Academic Staff
Faculty Profile
The make-up of the faculty body at River Valley is reflective of the mission and of the
student body and the region in terms of similar demographics. RVCC faculty are either
classified as adjunct, or full-time. Categories of both adjunct and full-time faculty are
defined by CCSNH Board of Trustees Policies (BoT) 690.1 (Full-Time Faculty Job
Descriptions and Qualifications) and 690.02 (Part time and Running-Start Faculty
Qualifications) as well as by each group’s respective Collective Bargaining Agreements
(CBA). Full-time faculty are represented by the New Hampshire Higher Education Union –
IBEW 2320 (NHHEU) and Adjunct Faculty by the State Employees Association 1984 (SEA)
who help negotiate the CBAs for each group on a biannual basis. All faculty are held to
standards of both their respective CBA’s and by CCSNH BoT policies.
Full-time faculty categories include: Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor,
and Professor. The requirements for appointment level are based on State of New
Hampshire Personnel Rule Per 301.02 - Class Specification. Each classification has a set of
responsibilities, and minimum qualifications including: the amount of formal education
necessary; the amount of equivalent schooling which may be substituted for formal
schooling, such as correspondence courses, adult education courses, trade or
apprenticeship training; the amount of experience required, including the amount of time
spent in practical preparation in related positions, the amount of equivalent experience
that may be substituted for formal education, or formal education to be substituted for
experience, if applicable; and any license or certification requirements. Faculty are
classified at the time of hire accordingly.
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Adjunct instructors are classified as either Adjunct Instructor, Adjunct Lecturer, or Adjunct
Senior Lecturer. Adjunct Faculty who serve as Clinical Instructors in the Allied Health &
Health Science fields are further classified as Level 1, 2, or 3 based on their longevity in
the role (2017-2018 Adjunct Faculty CBA). All faculty classifications are made initially at
the time of hire with set processes for promotion to the next highest level.
As a group, faculty at RVCC are highly experienced in either the field of education, their
respective field of study, or both. Faculty with specialized credentials and varied
experiences bring quality programming to the students. For example, the primary
Mathematics professor previously worked for the State of NH Department of Education and
helped to develop the state’s mathematics standards. Faculty in our many Allied Health,
Health Science, and Nursing programs hold licenses to practice in their professions, and
often continue to work in their fields to maintain clinical competence. Current full-time
faculty are categorized at either the Professor or Associate Professor level. Most faculty
have advanced degrees with the majority having Master’s level training. Currently, RVCC
has four faculty with Doctoral degrees, sixteen with Master’s, and two with Bachelor’s. The
faculty with Bachelor’s Degrees as their terminal degrees are teaching in certificate
programs where the Bachelor’s degree is the allowable standard for teaching.
The College tends to have more female educators than male with women making up 73%
of the full-time faculty population. This gender distribution is similar to the distribution of
the student population and is influenced by the heavy role of Nursing and Allied Health &
Health Science programs that make up the academic Catalog. River Valley has the most
health related programs of the seven community colleges in the NH System, and the
faculty reflect these women-dominated professions. The college faculty are primarily white,
with a distribution consistent with the ethnicity of the NH counties the College serves.
While the College does not have any specific goals for the achievement of diversity among
our faculty and academic staff, our race/ethnicity percentage exceeds the regional data of
the three counties we serve.
The College supports one full-time faculty teaching Mathematics and one full-time faculty
teaching Biological Science courses. All other Liberal Arts positions are filled with adjunct
faculty. The College supports two full-time faculty in our Business program, one full-time
faculty in our Computer Science program, and one full-time faculty in our Early Childhood
Education program. RVCC boasts a large number of Allied Health programs whose
individual accreditation requirements often predicate a set number of full-time faculty be
assigned to those programs directly. Due to decreased numbers of full-time faculty, some
programs are managed by part-time Program Directors (which are classified as staff
positions although they may also hold an adjunct teaching position); as well as some
programs which do not have Program Directors but are managed by the Department Chair
instead. The ratio of students to faculty, although increased since elimination of full-time
positions before AY ’17-18, still remains low.
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While slightly increased over previous years, this ratio is quite effective at providing
students with personalized attention. According to the 2018 Graduate Satisfaction Survey,
students were satisfied with their interactions with their advisors.
Figure 6.1: Graduate Satisfaction Survey AY2017-2018
Percent of students choosing “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” for a given category
Occasionally, RVCC employs teaching assistants to provide supplemental academic support
to students and faculty. The Science department hires two part-time employees who work
as lab technicians: one works at the Keene Academic Center and one at the Claremont
campus. These lab technicians are responsible for supporting full-time and adjunct faculty
via preparation of lab materials, supervision of open lab times for students, and being
available to answer some content questions. In Fall of 2018, the Radiologic Technology
program also utilized a lab assistant for the first time to work with students in the preclinical
rotation simulated lab and to work with students enrolled in the Radiographic
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Position and Procedures 1 course. Students and faculty reported finding the additional
assistant helpful in preparing students for their clinical rotations.
Job Descriptions (SJDs), Workloads, Responsibilities
All faculty have specifically defined roles in the institution as defined by the CCSNH BoT
policies referenced above as well as the full-time and adjunct CBA documents.
CCSNH BoT policy 690 states that the “responsibilities of part-time [adjunct] faculty are
limited to those accountabilities associated with teaching a course at the College.” The
responsibilities expected of adjunct faculty include development of instructional materials,
or usage of prepared instructional materials; and grading of their assigned course(s) work
to meet the course objectives as defined in course outlines. Adjunct faculty are also
expected to be available for student consultation before and after class or via electronic
means as outlined in Section 9 – Workload of the 2017-18 Adjunct faculty CBA. Most
adjunct faculty meet this requirement through electronic communications either via
Canvas or e-mail. Some adjunct faculty, such as one of the Phlebotomy instructors sets
aside 30 minutes after each class to be available to students; and adjunct faculty, such as
one teaching Psychology, reserve classroom space each week to hold “office hours” in
order to assist students.
Full-time faculty have additional responsibilities including teaching and learning, academic
contributions to a department and/or the College, service to students, service to college
and community, and professional growth and development. The responsibilities of each
faculty member are outlined in their Supplemental Job Description (the SJD). This SJD is
available at the time of advertisement of each faculty position and also clearly outlines the
requirement for appointment level (professor, associate professor, or assistant professor).
All faculty are assigned to a specific program or department upon hire and their specific
job responsibilities are outlined in their SJD. With appropriate credentials, faculty may
teach in a discipline outside of their assigned program or department to fulfill the needs of
the institution.
All qualifications for teaching are overseen by the Office of Academics, specifically the
VPAA, to ensure that all faculty applicants meet minimum qualifications. SJDs are revised
upon promotion or as needed based on individual job requirements.
River Valley ensures the proper qualifications of all full-time faculty. Since 2005, the
minimum degree qualification for all full-time and adjunct faculty has been a Master’s
degree. There are some exceptions to this policy made only for programs with
accreditation standards that do not require a Master’s degree such as Massage Therapy,
Medical Assisting, and Medical Laboratory Technician. Occasionally, exceptions have also
been made for programs in which no qualified Master’s level faculty are otherwise
available. In these situations, exceptions are typically made only when there is sufficient
experience to offset the lack of Master’s degree. In addition to degrees, some faculty
members hold certifications and licenses required by their profession. This is often the
case in many programs in Nursing and Respiratory Care, Allied Health, and Health
Sciences. In these cases, faculty are required to maintain certifications, licenses, and
other criteria as dictated by the state or federal requirements or by the individual program
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accrediting body. Many accrediting agencies in the Allied Health fields require faculty to
hold state licensure in order to maintain teaching credentials within the programs.
All workloads for full-time faculty are determined as a collaboration between the faculty
and their Department Chair, and are guided by the standards outlined in the CBA and
SJDs. The CBA is negotiated every other year between the CCSNH Administration and the
CCSNH faculty, represented by the New Hampshire Higher Education Union/IBEW
(NHHEU/IBEW) and the CCSNH Administration. RVCC is represented on the faculty
bargaining team by one member of the full-time faculty. SJDs are created at the time of
hire, and updated as necessary, in collaboration with program faculty and Department
Chairs, the VPAA, and the Human Resource department. The VPAA has final approval of
all full-time faculty workloads. Per the CBA, full-time faculty workloads are assigned to
be a balance of Instructional Workload, to make up no greater than 85% of faculty time
and include items such as instructional preparation, teaching, grading, assisting students
and advising. The balance of faculty time should be made up of Non-Instructional
Workload; no greater than 30% of which should be dedicated to
Institutional/CCSNH/Student and Community Service including committee work,
mentoring, recruiting and retention, accreditation and administrative duties; and
Professional Growth and Development which should make up no greater than 5% of
faculty time.
All full-time faculty are required to carry a workload of 15-18 contact hours per semester,
or its equivalent in a pro-rated format to meet the required 30-36 contact hours for the
year. An academic year for full-time faculty is counted as a fall and subsequent spring
semester. The CBA allows for faculty to switch the summer semester for one of the other
semesters, but no faculty at RVCC do this. All faculty work a fall and spring semester
schedule. The College follows the CCSNH standard definition of a contact hour (Faculty
CBA Article X.1.1 and Adjunct Faculty CBA 9E) in determining workload and faculty are
credited with a contact hour for every 50 minutes of face to face time they spend with
students.
The VPAA, in conjunction with the faculty and Department Chair, may elect to decrease the
required contact hours for full-time faculty members who assume additional administrative
duties or special projects for the College. Per the CBA, the VPAA issues a letter of work
load assignment no later than May 15 th and November 15 th each year stating the
instructional assignments for the subsequent fall or spring semesters and the continuing
non-instructional responsibilities. In each case, the letter states the course and numbers of
sections expected to be taught in the following academic semester.
Adjunct faculty negotiate a separate Collective Bargaining Agreement and are represented
by the State Employee’s Association of NH Inc. (SEIU Local 1984/SEA). According to their
Collective Bargaining Agreement, adjunct faculty are responsible for teaching, following all
applicable policies and procedures, being available for student consultation, attending
required faculty and college meetings, and submission of grades by the deadline. Adjunct
appointment letters are sent at least two weeks before the start of a semester. Adjuncts
may teach a maximum of 12 credit hours/semester, which includes their teaching
responsibilities among all CCSNH colleges. Appointment letters include the courses to be
taught, class/lab hours, and room assignments.
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Scholarly expectations for faculty at RVCC are consistent with the mission and purpose of
the College and are documented in SJDs along with faculty workload. Whenever a
program requires that a faculty member hold specific licensure or certification in order to
prepare students for the field of study, holding that credential is part of the job description
and is evaluated prior to hiring. As part of the development of a faculty member’s
workload each semester; the faculty member, Department Chair, and VPAA evaluate any
scholarly pursuits that are categorized as non-instructional workload, and appropriate
course release time is provided. Recently, examples of this type of work include RVCC’s
co-requisite math project, committee work to develop course equivalency between CCSNH
and the University System of NH, and preparation for individual program accreditation selfstudies.
Program Directors and Department Chairs often have additional responsibilities as outlined
in Article X of the Faculty CBA. The standard at River Valley is that the Program Director
for each program is responsible for academic advising of any student in their program.
There is also one full-time and one part-time advisor for General Studies and nonmatriculated
students, and one part-time advisor for Liberal Arts students. In the case
where a student may have multiple majors, direct communication between advisors is
carried out to ensure that students are on track for both programs and can complete
courses for both programs on an appropriate schedule.
Currently, all advisors have access to each student’s unofficial transcript through the
electronic Student Information System (SIS) and official transcripts via Banner or to
student files held in the Registrar’s Office. This transcript allows advisors to see what
courses and grades a student has taken and earned at any CCSNH institution, what
courses the student has specifically taken or transferred in to River Valley, and what
courses the student is currently enrolled in. In Fall of 2017, all programs were required to
develop program maps. These maps are the pathway of courses, delineated by semester
offered, that a student must take. Each Program Director uses these program maps when
advising students and program maps for each program are housed in the RVCC
Communications folder available in Canvas so that any advisor can access any map and
assist students who may be considering changing majors.
Program Directors are encouraged to do graduation audits at least one semester before
the student is scheduled to graduate. Graduation audits for each student are then
performed by the Registrar in the spring of the student’s final year to ensure that students
are on track to graduate. At the time of the graduation audit, Program Directors or
advisors are notified of any discrepancies to allow time for additional advising or to
transfer in any missing classes.
Recruitment, Hiring, Compensation
Job openings for faculty are done in a transparent and orderly fashion. The College’s hiring
practices comply with federal equal employment opportunity guidelines and state
nondiscrimination laws. Department Chairs work with the VPAA and Human Resources to
advertise job openings, first throughout CCSNH (in house) for one week (as per current
contract wording) and then to the wider community. There is a standard CCSNH-wide
application form and process.
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As per the full-time faculty’s CBA, job announcements include the position title, grade
level, employment status (exempt/nonexempt), position location, number of days and
hours per week, pay rate, job description, required qualifications, requirements for
applying, and the application processing period. Prospective hires are made aware of the
job requirements and responsibilities in the job notices. Full-time faculty applicants
receive a SJD that includes the scope of practice, accountabilities, minimum qualifications,
and expected work traits. The SJD is adapted and reflective of the level of faculty rank
that the hire will be employed at and is revised as the faculty member’s responsibilities
change, or as the faculty is promoted to a higher rank.
As part of the application process, full-time faculty applicants are asked to create and
present a short lesson plan to a group of faculty and staff who are interested in
participating. Feedback is collected and used by the search team that is comprised at least
of the Department Chair and program representatives.
Human Resources has a well-defined hiring process for adjuncts which includes completing
an on-line application, listing courses taught in the past, and listing courses the applicant
is qualified to teach. The appointment as adjunct and assignment is issued by the VPAA
each semester.
Faculty are encouraged to participate in the search process for instructional staff. Often,
job openings are spread through word of mouth of faculty to colleagues in the field while
job openings are posted, initially internally throughout CCSNH and then secondarily
through public notification on the RVCC website. Qualified applicants are interviewed by a
search committee and then make a short, public, teaching presentation to any college
member who can attend. Any college employee who attends the presentation is surveyed
for feedback.
Faculty hiring is compatible with the College’s mission to provide a quality education for
lifelong learning and career pathways. This can be seen by the variety of degrees,
specialty licenses, professional backgrounds and experiences of the faculty.
All faculty salaries at River Valley follow the salary schedule negotiated by the faculty and
administration outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Salaries are
commensurate with faculty appointment level and with an incremental (step) process.
Faculty salaries increase provided satisfactory job performance is documented. This is
done through performance evaluations and occurs in a standard fashion based on
longevity. The length of time a faculty member stays at each step level is outlined in
Article XVII of the CBA (17.1.2 b). Faculty may move from one faculty level to the next,
and therefore onto the next pay level, through the formal promotion process. Benefits are
provided to all full-time faculty at either the single, two-person, or family level. Additional
compensation in the form of a stipend is provided to faculty holding a title of either
Program Director of Department Chair. In the newest CBA, an increase to the stipend for
PDs and DCs is included as is an increase to all faculty (3% increase in January 2018 and
an additional 4% in August of 2018).
All faculty have a choice between two health care plans depending on their individual
needs and a portion of each members deductible is covered by the CCSNH. For those
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faculty and staff that choose to “opt out” of the CCSNH health care options because they
are covered elsewhere, a medical buy-out stipend is provided.
As described in Article 16 of the 2017-2018 adjunct faculty CBA, adjunct faculty are hired
at one of three levels (adjunct instructor, adjunct lecturer or adjunct senior lecturer) each
with a rise in salary. The contract also includes further information about pay rates for
Clinical adjunct faculty, pay for attendance at required meetings and payments that occur
in the event of a late cancellation of a scheduled class.
The College has been able to attract qualified faculty and staff with few exceptions. The
best advertising has often been word of mouth as Department Chairs and Program
Directors reach out through professional networks to qualified candidates, or other staff
members discuss open positions at RVCC with their acquaintances. The Allied Health,
Health Science, and Nursing positions tend to take longer to fill due to the discrepancy
between teaching salaries and the clinical salaries individuals are leaving to take the
teaching positions. Ultimately, faculty often make the leap from clinical practice to
instruction because of the quality of the experience and their dedication to passing on
knowledge to new professionals. There is a strong comradery among RVCC faculty and
academic staff. Most have been here for many years. Newest hires have been in the
Business, Nursing, and Occupational Therapy Assistant programs (due to retirements and
new job offers). We also have many adjuncts who are well respected and hired regularly.
Onboarding & Ethical Standards
Faculty are integrated into the institution through a formal New Faculty Orientation process
which is guided by the New Faculty Handbook, updated in 2017. During this process, each
faculty member meets with the Human Resource officer as part of the onboarding process.
At this time, any required federal paperwork is completed and faculty are introduced to
River Valley policies that ensure that faculty act responsibly and ethically. New hire
training includes review of CCSNH policies (Policy 323.01 Workplace Conduct) such as nondiscrimination,
anti-bullying and sexual harassment, and acceptable use of IT. During this
onboarding of faculty, they are also introduced to the protections afforded them by their
respective CBA’s as well as the guidelines for Academic Freedom and Professional
Responsibility (Full-time faculty CBA Article VI Academic Freedom & Professional
Responsibility; adjunct faculty CBA Article 13 Academic Freedom & Professional
Responsibility) Additional policies are found in The Faculty and Staff Manual which is
available in Canvas.
Professional Development
Professional Development is outlined as part of expected full-time faculty workload (CBA
Article X). Annually, full-time faculty complete a Professional Growth Plan (PGP) that
identifies goals and action items relevant to the College Strategic Plan regarding student
access, student success, teaching and learning, and sustainability. The Institution and
System provide internal opportunities for professional development including the Annual
CCSNH Symposium and Monthly Teaching and Learning Seminars. Carl Perkins Grant
funds have also traditionally been available for faculty professional development in all
technical programs at RVCC. Those faculty with individual licensure or professional
requirements often pay for external professional development out of pocket and the
institution is supportive in approving time off to attend these seminars.
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There is a standard process that RVCC employees must follow in order to request Perkins
funds. The process and forms are available to all employees through Canvas. Funds are
allocated by the grant program manager.
Evaluation & Promotion
The CBA outlines the process for faculty evaluation and promotion (Full-time CBA Section
XI and XII, Adjunct CBA Article 11 Evaluation) as well as outlines the process for faculty
grievances (Full-time faculty CBA Section VII Grievance and Arbitration Procedures;
Adjunct CBA Article 7 Grievance and Arbitration Procedures).
Faculty at RVCC are evaluated on a regular basis. The process of faculty evaluation is
outlined in the CBA in article XII – Performance Evaluations and occurs on a regular
schedule based on the length of time the faculty member has served the College. The
evaluation of the faculty member is carried out by either the Department Chair or the
VPAA in the areas of teaching and learning effectiveness; academic contributions; service
to students; service to the department/CCSNH/and community; and professional growth
and development. During the evaluation process, the evaluator considers how effective
the faculty member is in each area related to the mission and vision of both RVCC and
CCSNH, as well as how effective the faculty member is at meeting their job duties and
responsibilities as outlined in their SJD. Information for the evaluation also comes from
the student evaluations that are completed at the end of each course, discussions with
students seated in the faculty member’s class, a classroom evaluation and any selfevaluations
related to a faculty member’s yearly Professional Development Plan. The
evaluations are used to identify areas of strength as well as areas for improvement, and
help support planning for continued workload assignments or to support the need for
faculty professional development.
During each evaluation, faculty are assessed on their knowledge related to their content
area as well as their ability to teach. In concert with these evaluations, faculty complete
Professional Growth Plans (PGPs)each year to self-identify any needed areas of
improvement and develop a plan to meet those needs. These PGPs are particularly helpful
in correcting any areas of knowledge or pedagogical weakness.
Evaluations are one of the components utilized in the process of faculty promotion which is
handled differently depending on if a faculty member is full-time or adjunct. Adjunct
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faculty are eligible to move up a level after six successful semesters of teaching at the
College as outlined in Article 16 of the Adjunct CBA. Adjunct faculty must identify their
request for promotion in writing to their supervisor who will ensure that the proper
evaluations have been completed and make a recommendation to the VPAA. The VPAA is
responsible for the final decision.
The process of promotion for full-time faculty is more involved and is outlined in Article XI
of the Full-time Faculty CBA. Faculty are eligible to promote between levels after a
specified period of time at the previous level. Promotion entails the submission of a
portfolio which is evaluated by a committee of Master Teacher Fellows of the faculty
member’s peers. Master Teacher Fellows must hold an academic rank at or above the
rank the faculty member is seeking to promote to. In addition to portfolio review, the
Master Teacher Fellows also observes the faculty member in the classroom, interviews
students, interviews the faculty member’s colleagues and supervisor, and uses a
standardized rubric which grades the faculty member on five areas: Teaching & Learning
Effectiveness, Academic Contributions, Service to Students, Service to
Institution/System/Community, and Professional Growth & Development. To obtain
promotion, the faculty member must meet minimum standards on the promotion rubric for
the level they are seeking.
Appraisal of Faculty & Academic Staff
The faculty and staff at RVCC are a small, but dedicated group of employees who work
together to support the students and the mission of the College. Faculty and staff are
hired, evaluated, retained, and promoted through a clear set of policies outlined by the
CCSNH Board of Trustees and further clarified via the Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Each employee unit; faculty, staff, and adjunct faculty, are represented by their own
unions which negotiate each respective Collective Bargaining Agreement.
One discrepancy related to hiring that has been identified occurred as result of a previous
Interim President, who set a standard that the search committee for faculty should
specifically excluded the Program Director (PD) or Department Chair (DC) to which the
incoming faculty member would be reporting. The thought behind this was that the PD or
DC might influence the hiring committee. However, faculty voiced dissent at this process
and identified that specific necessary qualifications, known intimately by the PD or DC may
not be evaluated if they were not seated on the interview team. Under the current
administration, this has been rectified and the PD or DC is always seated, and often chairs,
the interview team. The team makes a recommendation for the candidate of choice to the
President. The President considers the recommendation of the interview team, but is
ultimately responsible for appointment of the position.
At times the salary discrepancy between practitioner and faculty member causes some
difficulty in recruiting faculty to open positions, particularly in the areas of Allied Health.
For example, the Radiologic Technology program experienced difficulty recruiting a Clinical
Coordinator. This contributed to the program being placed on probation with their national
accrediting agency, JCERT. After one and one half years of vacancy, the Clinical
Coordinator positon was filled in December of 2018. In another example, in Spring of
2018, the position of Fieldwork Coordinator of the Occupational Therapy Assistant program
was vacant during the program self-study visit. This vacancy contributed to the
probationary status of the OTA program. The Fieldwork Coordinator position was filled in
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September of 2018 and the OTA program was removed from probationary status in
December of 2018.
A change that has recently impacted faculty as a result of the new CBA (2017-2019) is the
clause that states that faculty are to remain “available and accessible” to students. In the
past, advising time was considered “non-instructional” time. The updated CBA includes
teaching, planning, evaluating, tutoring, advising, assisting students, curriculum/program
development, academic contributions, and availability and access for students under the
“instructional time”. This is a change from the old standard of holding 5 hours per week of
office availability. With the increased use of technology for advising, faculty across CCSNH
identified that the concept of an “office hour” was outdated as many faculty are
communicating with their advisees through email exchanges and the use of the Learning
Management Systems to discuss relevant advising. The change to the new standard of
being “available and accessible” to students has improved the faculty at River Valley’s
communication with students particularly in light of covering three academic locations. It
was not always possible for a student to travel to the faculty’s location for advising and not
always possible for the faculty to travel to one of the other Academic Center. Giving more
flexibility to the faculty for student support has been a welcome change. Another welcome
change was the arrival of the new President, and his commitment to filling vacant positions
and stabilizing the organizational chart. Additional improvements will come as a result of
assessing and updating advising procedures to include all faculty, not just Program
Directors, in advising and implementation of Degree Works, an advising software.
At River Valley, some faculty serve as Program Directors, and thus advisors, for multiple
programs. Some Program Directors also serve as Department Chairs in addition to their
faculty role. A number of faculty in the Allied Health department hold the role of Clinical
Coordinator (or equivalent) in addition to their teaching responsibilities. Per the Faculty
CBA, it is standard at River Valley that all Department Chairs receive a one course
reduction each semester. In Spring of 2018 Department Chairs updated the workload
forms to better meet the release time requirements outlined in the updated CBA, and
discussed how Department Chair release time would be managed consistently across
departments. As of Fall 2018, all Department Chairs are expected to hold a workload
between 8-10 contact hours with the remainder of their workload time being dedicated to
the responsibilities that are outlined by their role as Department Chair. As this is a new
process, it will need to be evaluated and updated by the VPAA and Department Chairs
after Spring 2019.
Strengths
The College’s hiring practices ensure a faculty with a variety of degrees, specialty
licenses, professional backgrounds and experiences.
Adequate support for academic staff is assessed via minutes from program or
department meetings, Department Chair meetings, or Faculty Forum meetings.
Changes to the CBA have allowed faculty more freedom in how they utilize out of
class time to support students.
Challenges
The College’s faculty and staff represent somewhat limited ethnicity, but this is
reflective of the state’s demographics, of the regions that RVCC serves, and of the
student population.
Course release time for faculty has not always been consistently applied.
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Teaching & Learning
Instructional Techniques & Content
Every course at RVCC has an official document referred to as the course outline. While the
course outline identifies topics to cover in a specific course, faculty have the academic
freedom to teach in whatever manner they feel will best meet the course outcomes.
Frequent methods of instruction include: didactic instruction such as lecture, student group
work, guest lectures, case studies, video supplementation of course content; laboratory
instruction to develop psychomotor skills such as hands-on manipulations, skills, role play,
and simulations; and clinical learning and internships where students are learning directly
in the work environment either under the direct supervision of RVCC faculty also at the
workplace or by a clinical preceptor who is overseen by an RVCC faculty member. Many
faculty incorporate technology into student learning via Canvas or the use of
teleconferencing classrooms to allow for improved utilization of resources across the three
RVCC locations.
Faculty at RVCC utilize a variety of instructional techniques including lectures,
demonstrations, discussions, hands-on labs, videos, readings, research projects, journals,
and observations. The instructional techniques that are used in each course are identified
in the course outline and are approved by the Curriculum Team for each course.
Instructional modes at RVCC include 100% face to face courses, hybrid courses, and 100%
online courses. Hybrid courses and online courses are delivered through Canvas. Faculty
teaching face to face also utilize Canvas for assignments and posting of lecture material.
The CCSNH System is responsible for developing a coordinated and integrated approach to
on-line learning policies. The VPAAs approved a posted list of on-line policies in 2011 that
include class size (maximum 20 students unless agreed upon by instructor and VPAA), and
specific information that must be included in the on-line syllabus (such as information on
Americans with Disability Act, copyright information, proctored exams and student
authentication).
Evaluation Methods
Evaluations of student learning take place at the individual course level as determined by
the individual faculty member through whichever assessment techniques they feel best
measure the required course outcomes. Students who do not feel as though their learning
in a course is sufficient have direct access to their instructors and can also bring their
concerns to the attention of the Program Director, Department Chair, or VPAA. Most
student concerns related to these issues are often a result of courses taught by new
adjunct faculty. When this occurs, Program Directors or Department Chairs have
employed a more rigorous mentoring process including, but not limited to classroom
observations and one on one feedback with the adjunct faculty. Students also evaluate
their learning in the course at the end of each semester during course evaluations and
these evaluations are used by Department Chairs during the faculty evaluation process. All
students must meet minimum passing grade standards in order to obtain credit for their
course and for the course to be credited towards their graduation requirements.
Students are allowed to choose what mode of delivery they would like to pursue based on
the schedule of courses available but may be encouraged by their advisor to take a specific
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mode of delivery when there is a need. Students are informed about the online learning
environment on the RVCC website. River Valley has steadily increased its online learning
opportunities over the past five years and now offers approximately 32-34 courses each
fall semester in a completely online format.
As previously described, faculty performance in both the face to face and online classroom
is assessed on a standard schedule as outlined in the CBA. When areas of concern arise
related to the quality of teaching and learning, it is the responsibility of the Department
Chair to develop a plan, in conjunction with the individual faculty member, to remediate
the issue. For many years there has been a set monthly meeting dedicated to Teaching &
Learning for faculty. This had been organized by a full-time faculty member and open to
full and adjunct faculty as well as any staff or administrators who wished to join. Topics
covered in the past three years included subjects such as: Guided Pathways, Rethinking
Student Instruction, Social Learning Theory & Bloom’s Taxonomy, Mentoring Students and
Developing their Motivation to Persist and Do Well, Connections Between Academic
programs and Developmental courses, Developing Rubrics, and Problem Based Learning.
Professional Development
Each year, RVCC participates in the CCSNH Symposium during which various workshops
are available for faculty. The workshops vary in topic based on faculty and staff input
across the system, but a number of workshops each year relate to topics that may be
utilized to enhance quality in the classroom. Topics in recent years have included The
Flipped Classroom, Mindfulness in Education, and Podcasting lectures.
Faculty also have access to on-line professional development courses through the library
on such topics as Evaluating Sources and Open Educational Resources. In Spring of 2018,
all advisors, and interested staff and faculty were trained in NOABO/Veera Bridge (which
allows access to programmatic enrollment data.) As RVCC and CCSNH prepared to
transition to Canvas in Summer of 2018, there were also a number of formal trainings on
the Learning Management System at the department and college level lead by members of
the faculty who had prior experience using Canvas.
Faculty and staff are provided the additional benefit of taking courses at any System
institution for free through an employee waiver program. All employees must have
permission of their supervisors to do this.
Exposure of Students to Various Instructors
At RVCC, all associate degree programs have a required Liberal Arts component as
outlined by the Board of Trustees Academic Policy and as described in Standard 4. These
requirements ensure that any student in an associate degree program taking Liberal Arts
courses as part of their program of study are taught by faculty with educational experience
or expertise in their field. Technical courses in each program are taught by faculty with
educational experience, expertise, licensure, or certification in the specific field of study.
Course outlines are a college-wide document, approved by the Curriculum Committee,
which specify the description, objectives, outcomes, and teaching methods for a particular
course. This document ensures that multiple sections of a course that are taught,
regardless of instructional mode (face to face, hybrid, or online) are consistent for all
sections of the same course. The course outline also includes grading scales to ensure
equity in grading. When multiple faculty teach the lecture or lab sections of a course, the
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course outline includes a grading scale and the Department Chair is responsible for
coordinating the use of the same textbook. There is flexibility in how faculty meet the
required outcomes identified in the course outline and each course must have a syllabus
which identifies how the individual faculty member will run their course. Faculty are also
protected by Academic Freedom policies in the CBA which allow for flexibility and
personalization of each class offered.
Academic Advising
Throughout the three RVCC academic locations there are 1.5 Academic Advisors dedicated
to advising General Studies students, which includes students who are undecided, and
non-matriculated students; and one part-time advisor dedicated to Liberal Arts students.
Program Directors and Department Chairs are also responsible for academic advising
according to the program maps which have been created for each major at the College.
Students are assigned an advisor upon acceptance to the College and they are provided
with their advisor’s name and contact information in their acceptance letter. Each
semester there are set Academic Advising Weeks which coincide with the distribution of
the schedule for the following semester. Prior to the Academic Advising Week, fliers are
posted throughout the College and emails are sent out from the Students Success Centers
as well as directly from advisors to ensure that students are aware of upcoming advising
and registration dates. All advisors have access to the advising manual which was
updated in 2018 as well as access to the program maps via Canvas. Academic Advising is
assessed as part of the Graduate Satisfaction Survey provided to graduating seniors.
Scholarship & Research
There are CCSNH policies that support scholarship, research and creative activities. The
full-time faculty contract states up to 5% of full-time faculty’s job can be used for
professional growth and development (Article X). This allowance is most frequently used
by faculty in the Allied Health and Health Science programs. Two of the three Physical
Therapist Assistant faculty, both of the Occupational Therapy Assistant faculty, and all
faculty (full-time and adjunct) in the Massage Therapy program take time during the
school year for clinical practice. Faculty also use this time to pursue advanced degrees.
Recently, the Computer Technology faculty member earned his Master’s degree, the Math
faculty member is in the process of earning his Doctoral Degree, and both OTA faculty
members are enrolled in graduate programs (one Doctoral and one Master’s). The
contract also outlines the policy that allows a faculty member to request either a paid or
unpaid educational leave (Article XXV). The adjunct faculty contract does not include
release time for professional growth and development nor for educational leaves (but does
cover leaves for temporary disability, military service and civil duty).
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Policies also exist to support formal research. CCSNH Policy 690.09 Protocols for Research
in the Classroom identifies who may serve as research investigators, privacy requirements,
oversight responsibilities, and the required elements in a written research proposal.
Appraisal of Teaching & Learning
Faculty at RVCC are dedicated to providing quality, relevant course materials. The use of
Canvas helps to incorporate technology into all coursework and faculty at RVCC work hard
to ensure that college courses are delivered at a high level regardless of if they are online,
hybrid, or face to face courses.
The majority of funding for faculty training comes through Perkins funding, however in
recent years, Perkins funding has not been available to every eligible program. In AY16-
17, under the Interim President, the Perkins Funding approach was drastically changed to
a collaborative model that included Program Directors for all relevant programs. Program
Directors met to discuss programmatic needs and the grant proposal was based on
collaborative decision making, with an impartial grant manager to oversee the process.
This new process led to a much more transparent distribution of funding and in Fall of
2018, eight programs (Business Management, Early Childhood Education, Massage,
Respiratory Therapy, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Technician, Phlebotomy, and Physical
Therapist Assistant) were able to buy equipment or utilize Perkins funding for professional
development.
While this process has greatly improved the equality of funding distribution, it does not
address all concerns related to professional development and training as not all programs
or divisions are eligible for Perkins funding. As the budget stabilizes, the College will draft
a formal Professional Development process by which faculty who do not qualify for Perkins
funding can access professional development activities.
Projections:
By Fall 2019, the VPAA and Department Chairs will make a recommendation to
revise the College’s current advising model to include all faculty and incorporate
Degree Works into advising processes.
By Spring 2020 the Department Chairs will draft a formal recommendation for a
Professional Development process and present it to the VPAA.
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Standard 6: Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
(Faculty by Category and Rank; Academic Staff by Category, Fall Term)
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Year
Prior Prior Prior
(FY 2016) (FY 2017 ) (FY 2018) (FY 2019)
? Number of Faculty by category
Full-time 30 28 23 21
Part-time
Adjunct 127 92 86 64
Clinical 7 7 7 9
Research
Visiting
Other; specify below:
Total 164 127 116 94
Percentage of Courses taught by full-time faculty
47.00% 41.00% 38.00% 44.00%
? Number of Faculty by rank, if applicable
Professor 21 18 12 11
Associate 9 9 10 9
Assistant 1 1
Instructor
Other; specify below:
Total 31 27 22 21
? Number of Academic Staff by category
Librarians 1 1 1 1
Advisors 2 2 2 3
Instructional Designers
Other; specify below:
Total 3 3 3 4
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
Advisors for current year: acutally 2.5 FTE
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Standard 6: Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
(Highest Degrees, Fall Term)
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Year
Prior Prior Prior
? (FY 2016 ) (FY 2017) (FY 2018 ) (FY 2019)
Highest Degree Earned: Doctorate
Faculty Professor 4 3 1 1
Associate 2 3 3
Assistant
Instructor
No rank
Other
Total 4 5 4 4
Academic Staff
Other; specify*
Librarians
Advisors
Inst. Designers
Highest Degree Earned: Master's
Faculty Professor 17 14 9 7
Associate 4 4 4 4
Assistant 1
Instructor
No rank
Other
Total 22 18 13 11
Academic Staff Librarians 1 1 1 1
Advisors
Inst. Designers
Other; specify*
Highest Degree Earned: Bachelor's
Faculty Professor 1 1 1 1
Associate 1 1
Assistant 1 1
Instructor
No rank
Other
Total 3 2 1 2
Academic Staff
Other; specify*
Librarians
Advisors
Inst. Designers
Highest Degree Earned: Professional License
Faculty
Professor
Associate
Assistant
Instructor 1 2 1
No rank
Other
Total 1 2 1 0
Academic Staff
Other; specify*
Librarians
Advisors
Inst. Designers
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Standard 6: Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
(Appointments, Tenure, Departures, Retirements, Teaching Load Full Academic Year)
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Year
Prior
Prior
Prior
(FY 2016) (FY 2017) (FY 2018 ) (FY 2019)
FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT
? Number of Faculty Appointed
Professor
Associate 1 5 1
Assistant 2
Instructor
No rank
Other
Total 0 0 1 0 5 0 3 0
? Number of Faculty in Tenured Positions
Professor
Associate
Assistant
Instructor
No rank
Other
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
? Number of Faculty Departing
Professor 4 6 1
Associate 1
Assistant 1
Instructor
No rank
Other
Total 0 0 6 0 6 0 1 0
? Number of Faculty Retiring
Professor 1 1 1
Associate
Assistant
Instructor
No rank
Other
Total 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0
Fall Teaching Load, in credit hours
Professor Maximum 18.00 18.00 18.00 18.00
Median 16.50 16.50 16.50 16.50
Associate Maximum 18.00 18.00 18.00 18.00
Median 16.50 16.50 16.50 16.50
Assistant Maximum 18.00 18.00 18.00 18.00
Instructor
No rank
Other
Median 16.50 16.50 16.50 16.50
Maximum
Median
Maximum
Median
Maximum
Median
Explanation of teaching load if not measured in credit hours
Teaching load is measured in contact hours. 1 hour of teaching lecture or lab = 1 contact hour.
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Standard 6: Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
(Number of Faculty by Department or Comparable Unit, Fall Term)
3 Years
2 Years 1 Year
Current Year
Prior
Prior
Prior
(Fall 2015 ) (Fall 2016) (Fall 2017 ) (Fall 2018 )
FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT
Number of Faculty by Department (or comparable academic unit); insert additional rows as needed
? Allied Health 8 9 5 6
Business and Accounting 3 3 2 2
Health Sciences 3 2 3 2
Liberal Arts 7 7
Liberal Arts and Criminal Justice 2 2
Mathematics & Engineering 2 1
Science & Technology 2 2
Nursing 6 6 5
Nursing & Respiratory Therapy 7
Total 24 0 25 0 21 2 23 2
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Standard 6: Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
(Faculty and Academic Staff Diversity)
For each type of diversity important to your institution (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, other), provide information on
faculty and academic staff below. Use current year data.
Faculty Full-time Part-time Total
Headcount
Headcount
Goal
(specify year)
?
?
Category of Faculty (e.g., male/female, ethnicity categories); add more rows as needed
women 19 19
men 4 4
white 22 22
African/American 1 1
Hispanic/Latino 1 1
0
0
Academic Staff Full-time Part-time Total Headcount Headcount
Goal
(specify year)
Category of Academic Staff (e.g., male/female, ethnicity categories); add more rows as needed
women 2 2
men 2 2
white 4 4
African/American 0 0
Hispanic/Latino 0 0
0
0
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Standard Seven
Institutional Resources

Description
River Valley Community College is funded primarily from tuition and fees revenue, and
from the funds appropriated from the State Legislature as part of their biannual budgeting
process. Between 2016 and 2019, the percentage of state allocations between the
colleges increased for the smaller, rural colleges. In 2019, the state allocated $5,610,017
to RVCC, an increase over the past three fiscal years, allowing RVCC to rely less on tuition
and fees (Figure 7.1). This helped maintain financial stability during a time of decreasing
enrollment.
Figure 7.1: RVCC Funding 2016-2019
River Valley’s tuition and fees have varied over the past four years, ranging from
$4,140,465 in FY16 to $3,912,443 in FY19. This variability is a result of both a declining
student population and an increase in tuition and fees. For example, in FY18 after several
years of declining enrollment with no change in tuition, the BoT voted to increase our per
credit tuition amount from $200 to $210, with another needed increase in FY19 to $215
per credit. The FY19 increase coincided with an additional increase in the RVCC student
fee (calculated on a per credit basis) from $5/credit to $9/credit. This student fee increase
occurred due to the removal of the graduation fee.
When comparing average revenues between FY16 and FY18, our actual revenues have
been funded 52% by the State of NH legislature appropriations via the CCSNH system
office, 39% through tuition and fees, and 9% comes from other sources such as Grants,
Workforce Development, Facility Rentals and Bookstore Commissions (Table 7.1).
Table 7.1: RVCC Revenue Sources FY16 – FY19
Revenue FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 Average
Sources
Tuition and
Fees
$ 4,140,465 $ 3,852,025 $ 3,795,393 39%
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Gov. Grants $ 300,404 $ 1,389,296 $ 176,707 6%
Other
$ 58,211 $ 51,267 $ 54,483 1%
Auxiliary
Other
$ 159,805 $ 253,067 $ 183,569 2%
Revenue
State
$ 4,961,614 $ 5,152,158 $ 5,593,353 52%
Appropriations
Total Revenue $ 9,620,499 $ 10,697,813 $ 9,803,505 100%
Although our Board of Trustees and our Advisory Committee are empowered to seek
donations and accept gifts, these do not account for a regular or sizable portion of our
resources. In Fall of 2018, a Chief Advancement Officer for the CCSNH Foundation, Tim
Allison, was hired to focus efforts on stewardship and donation cultivation for all New
Hampshire Community Colleges. His work will hopefully make donations a bigger part of
the RVCC revenue stream.
Human Resources
Overview
RVCC employs highly qualified personnel to fulfill its mission. As of February 1, 2019, River
Valley Community College employed a total of 185 employees, which includes 21 full-time
faculty, 96 adjunct faculty, and 68 full-time and part-time staff. Of the 185 employees,
179 are unionized, while the remaining 6 are classified as non-union administrators. All
hires must meet minimum standards of employment and are evaluated on a yearly basis
to ensure that they are meeting the standards of their job responsibilities. Faculty must
meet minimum education and experiential requirements as discussed in Standard Six.
RVCC, as part of the Community College System of New Hampshire, follows three
bargaining agreements. The 2017 – 2019 CCSNH/SEA Staff Collective Bargaining
Agreement applies to all full-time and part-time professional, technical, and operating
support staff, the 2017 – 2019 CCSNH/NHHEU FT Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement
applies to full-time regular faculty, and the 2017 – 2018 CCSNH/SEA Adjunct Faculty
Collective Bargaining Agreement (currently in bargaining phase) applies to all adjunct
faculty. Procedures and policies for non-union employees are outlined in the CCSNH
Managerial & Confidential Employee Handbook .
Over the past few years, RVCC has undergone multiple leadership and administration
changes and has most recently experienced a workforce reduction in the spring of 2017.
Because of this, employees have been asked to step up and put in additional effort, while
finding unique ways to provide exceptional service to students and to accomplish the new
workloads. As a result, many employees have grown in their roles and now occupy
positions of greater responsibility.
With the hiring of a new College President in the summer of 2018, there has been
increased stability and morale at the College. President Williams has initiated a concerted
effort to bring back or introduce several key positions that were lacking. In addition to
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oosting our Enrollment department with a new Enrollment Coordinator, Enrollment
Specialist, and part-time student services staff, key hiring also included an Associate Vice
President of Student Affairs and a Human Resource Officer to establish a strong leadership
team.
Appraisal of Human Resources
Recognizing the limitations that surround antiquated hiring and employment practices
based on previous affiliations that CCSNH had as a state system, RVCC has begun
identifying and implementing solutions for inefficiencies with processes and procedures,
such as the following:
The onboarding process at RVCC has been a struggle for all involved parties due not
only to the inefficiencies of the past but also to the recent vacancy and turnover in
the Human Resource Officer position. With a new Officer hired and CCSNH moving
forward on a project to overhaul onboarding and provide a new application for our
recruitment system, these issues will be mostly eliminated.
Although salary ranges for staff are consistent with state averages for comparable
positions, and come with the added incentive of a good insurance and benefit
package, managers have struggled with providing incentive and reward for
performance due to the unionized increase structure. Through looking at additional
growth opportunities and external professional development, RVCC is seeking
alternative and unique ways of recognition.
As a result of the turnover and instability in past years, morale of faculty and staff has
been a chief concern. In addition to providing new stability and greater student service
through key hires, RVCC leadership has recognized a lack of structure and role definition.
To rectify this, the College is looking at reporting relationships and confirming or defining
roles for employees where necessary. Although an ongoing project, there have already
been positive results especially within the student services and enrollment area. To assist
in the goal of recruiting and retaining our students, RVCC has hired two full-time and one
part-time enrollment specialist. These positions have had a direct impact on the number
of students and community members looking into RVCC. In addition, with the hiring of a
full-time IT manager and a full-time IT technician, the RVCC community has been able to
obtain and implement better technology and benefit from more timely assistance from the
IT department.
With a stable leadership team, several important positions being hired, and the continued
support from the CCSNH System Office, RVCC has been able to gain more confidence in its
strategic goals. Although there will always be room for improvement, the RVCC
community has made huge strides since July 2018.
Financial Resources
Budgeting Process
State law (RSA 188-F: 2) states that “the Community College System of New Hampshire
shall be governed by a single Board of Trustees which is the policy making and operational
authority. The BoT is responsible for ensuring that the colleges operate a well-coordinated
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system of public community college education.” Further, state law (RSA 188-F: 6; F: 6 IV-
Xii) delegates to the BoT “…the management and control of all the property and affairs of
the Community College system, all of its colleges, divisions and departments…” and a
number of general authorities in the financial affairs area. This includes, but is not limited
to, the acceptance and transfer of funds, the preparation of the biennial capital budget, the
authority to enter contracts, and the ability to obtain land and resources.
The CCSNH Finance Committee is responsible for overseeing fiscal policies related to long
range planning and budgeting for the System. The BoT is advised periodically with regard
to long range financial planning in order to assess whether projected revenues and
expenses are in balance and sufficient to meet stated missions and goals. The BoT then
makes appropriate adjustments in order to provide for fiscally responsible operations over
the long term. CCSNH develops a tactical plan for each biennial period that coincides with
the state funding request cycle. These plans reflect priorities and positions articulated in
both system goals and campus strategic planning documents.
As the head of CCSNH, the Chancellor is responsible for the oversight and management of
funds and other resources, as well as the preparation of all pertinent documents and
materials that require committee review and/or approval. Additionally, the Chancellor has
the responsibility to administer financial policies and present these policies for
documentation necessary for the proper and effective exercise of the BoT’s fiduciary
responsibilities.
Each year, the Chancellor, the Board of Trustees and the College Presidents speak in front
of the New Hampshire Legislative Finance Committees to discuss the CCSNH biennial
report. As part of this review, the Chancellor develops and maintains the CCSNH Capital
Projects Plan which incorporates each college’s six year master plan. These plans are then
used as reference material when asking for allocations of money from the House and
Senate. The BoT periodically offers advice with regards to the plans and estimates for
major project cost and funding.
The CCSNH Foundation is a 501(c) (3) with a mission to provide educational opportunities
through financial assistance for student scholarships, program development, and college
facilities enhancement. CCSNH adheres to all IRS non-profit fundraising policies and does
not solicit favors that would conflict with public interest.
Shared services and other economic efficiencies are handled through the Chief Operations
Officer. Federal funding is handled per federal regulations by the Financial Aid system,
Compliance Officer, and Financial Aid Director of each college. These employees ensure
accurate financial information in Banner. To guarantee the integrity of each college and its
finances, the System Office performs internal audits and ensures all policies and
procedures are operating honestly and efficiently. A BoT subcommittee arranges annual
external financial and A-133 audits, and findings are presented to the Board of Trustees to
guarantee transparency. Financial Aid is also annually audited and recommendations for
improvement are noted.
To provide a system of checks and balances, the President is responsible for maintaining a
balanced budget, approving financial transactions, and explaining any adjustments,
transfers, and revenue/expense patterns to the System Office. The BAO assists the
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President by monitoring the budget, completing periodic fiscal-year forecasts, and ensuring
that RVCC adheres to the financial policies laid out by the Board of Trustees.
With the fluctuating staffing in the BAO position, at times there had been loss of oversight
in the finances. As a result, the 2016 Fiscal Year saw a deficit of over ($405,637). When
the College hired the current BAO in August of 2016, a true understanding of the finances
was not even accessible. One of the first tasks of the BAO was to obtain accurate financial
reports, to educate the college community on the financial situation, and create a
transparent financial environment. As a result of these initiatives, the Business Office was
able to convey to faculty and staff an overview of the spending habits of the College as
well as find ways to decrease expenses. Communication with the college community about
the budget began occurring on a regular basis during the 2016 All-College Staff Meeting.
At each meeting, the BAO prepared a presentation to educate the college community
about the state of the budget. The goal of the BAO during these presentations was to be
transparent about the finances and always speak to the expenses that were particularly
high for the month as well as ways to reduce those expenses. Some examples of
reduction of daily expenses included items such as installing motion sensors on all college
lighting, decreasing the use of color copies, evaluating the printing patterns of the College
and renegotiating contracts related to the photocopiers, and reviewing policies surrounding
making long distance phone calls from work phones. Analysis of these cost savings
measures is ongoing. Other cost saving measures included the reduction of the vehicle
fleet by one leased vehicle, saving the College $3400. As a result of these efforts, the
RVCC community reduced the forecasted deficit as presented in February of 2017 from
($533,702) to a deficit of ($265,000), and by FY18, RVCC was able turn the deficit into a
surplus of $1,308,139. Currently, RVCC is forecasting a surplus for FY19 as well.
Annually, the Business Affairs Officer provides all Department Chairs, Program
Coordinators, and Department Heads with a description of current year expenses and asks
them to develop a budget for the next fiscal year based on the amount they spent in the
current fiscal year, plus any needed additions. In the past year, the BAO has encouraged
a flat or 0% increase budgeting approach whenever possible to assist in balancing the
budget, and to weather any enrollment variability.
Once proposed budgets are collected, the BAO confers with the VPAA and President to
analyze the budget as a whole and determine where adjustments need to be made. If
changes to individual department budgets are needed, one on one conversations with
department heads determine what can be done to accommodate the needs of RVCC. The
BAO and the President work closely to ensure that budgets are appropriately distributed
throughout programs, by basing any needed budget increases on enrollment, age of
equipment, accreditation requirements, and explanations provided with budget requests.
An example of the variability in programmatic budgets, and the process of ensuring that
budgets are appropriately distributed can be seen by comparing the Criminal Justice
program with the Medical Laboratory Program. An example of a flat or zero percentage
increase budgeted program would be the Criminal Justice Program which consistently had
a budget of $150 with no changes for years. In FY19, many of their classes switched to
on-line or hybrid classes, minimizing the need for supplies, and solidifying the accuracy of
a budget that is low in comparison to other programs in the College. On the other hand,
the Medical Lab Technician program was estimating an increase in students, and is a
program that is supply heavy and requires national accreditation dues. As a result, the
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udget for this program was increased from $7,750 to $8,250 to ensure sufficient supplies
for all students.
Once the budget is approved at the college level, it goes to the CCSNH Office before being
evaluated by the Board of Trustees Finance Committee, the full Board of Trustees, and
ultimately by the State of NH. Weekly budget reports are sent to all Department Chairs,
Department Heads, and Program Coordinators to help them track their fiscal year
expenses.
Each fall and spring a budget forecast is completed to recalibrate the budget and realign
with the needs of RVCC. In general, each year, RVCC follows a rough estimate that
enrollment between fall and spring semester will decrease by 7% due to attrition. As a
result of this prediction, we recalibrate our year ending revenue for tuition and fees. The
final enrollment numbers in the Fall of 2017 indicated that RVCC was down by 6.3%. The
result was to reforecast our tuition revenue from $3.8 million to $3.2 million. At the same
time, a vacant staff position affected our projection for revenue. Thus, the original budget
developed the previous spring decreased from $9.8 million to $9.2 million. Because of this,
there was a need to reduce the general operating expenses by 2%, bringing the original
operating expense budget from $2.176 million to $2.143 million. To do this, we reduced
the hours of operations, including early closures on evenings when there were no classes;
closing the buildings on Saturday; and shifting staff schedules to decrease overtime. As a
result, in Fiscal Year 2018, we were able to save $13,518 in overtime.
Much work has been done in collaboration with the academic department to evaluate
scheduling of courses to maximize building usage and reduce open hours. In Summer of
2018, the College piloted a modified schedule at the Lebanon Academic Center with a
focus on evening hours. This was a result of the evaluation of course tallies which showed
evening classes as the best for student schedules. By continuing to use course tally data
effectively to schedule building hours, we hope to improve the ratio of income vs. expense
at the LAC. This system was re-evaluated after Summer of 2018, and feedback from the
Lebanon Advisory Board and community indicated that they wanted the College to have a
larger presence as opposed to just evening hours. In Fall of 2018, RVCC re-opened the
LAC for daytime and evening hours with a focus on increasing usage of the building via
continuing education courses.
As a human capital organization, RVCC’s budget has traditionally consisted of roughly 78%
salaries and benefits while other expenses account for roughly 22% of the total costs to
the institution (Figure 7.2)
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Similar to many organizations where the majority of the workforce is under the control of a
Collective Bargaining Agreement, the salary increases are dictated by the CBA, often times
before the budget is even created. As a result of salary increases being created before the
budget is determined, the non-salary and benefits expenses of the budget are often
reduced. The remaining 22%, of the expense budget consists of all other expenses
needed for operations. Over the past 3 years, between 4% and 7% of the remaining
expense budget, after salaries and expenses, were shared service allocations provided to
the CCSNH system office for the support of their services to RVCC. These include
Information Technology the procurement process regarding to high level purchasing,
contract management, and check processing.
One area that has seen great improvement on campus is academic technology. Computer
labs, faculty computers, and classroom technology were historically managed on a small
budget of $93,000. In FY2018, the department was allocated an additional $80,000;
however, they only used $37,000 of that allotment due to an inconsistent policy for
technology inventory and replacement. This task was emphasized when hiring a new IT
Manager in Fall of 2018. One of the IT Manager’s first tasks upon hire was to do a physical
inventory of the technology in the buildings, including evaluating the age of faculty and
staff computers. As of Fall 2018, 90% of faculty and staff computers have been upgraded
as well as adding teaching computers to the majority of general use classrooms, updating
computer labs, and setting up online conferencing classrooms at all three locations.
Another change that will impact the RVCC Budget was the CCSNH Board of Trustees
passage of a new policy in Spring of 2018 which increases lab fees and the cost of the
Clinical Surcharge from $350 to $500 effective Fall 2018. Prior to Fall 2018, this surcharge
was only assessed to Nursing students but the increase in cost was also added to the
Occupational Therapy Assistant and Physical Therapist Assistant programs. These
increased fees go into the general fund. While some fees were increased, the Board of
Trustees also voted to eliminate several fees assessed to students, such as application
fees, orientation fees, and graduation fees which were seen as barriers to students
attending colleges across CCSNH. The hope is that with such barriers removed, we will
see benefits in enrollment.
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CCSNH began a five-year budget model implemented in the Spring 2018 to see how
various increases and decreases will ultimately affect our financial position. The five-year
budget model allows individual colleges and the CCSNH System to make system wide and
college specific assumptions, then make adjustments to revenue and expense projections,
and analyze the outcomes. This financial modeling tool will provide the Board of Trustees
a way to determining when tuition increases are needed or if program consolidation should
be evaluated. Although in the early stages of utilization and development, this new fiveyear
modeling tool assisted the Board of Trustees in deciding on a $5 per credit tuition
increase for the FY19 based of the projected enrollment trends, cost of living increase, and
changes in benefits cost.
RVCC’s estimated FY2019 revenue is $9.926 million, and our estimated operating
expenses are $9.324 million. We estimate our revenues to be flat, unless enrollment
trends dictate otherwise. We estimate our expenses for salaries to increase based on
percentages that are negotiated during the collective bargaining process and benefits
changes based on industry trends and our estimated loss ratios. General operating
expenses are projected to stay flat unless there are projected needs as a direct result of
enrollment trends or if major equipment purchases for a program are needed. For
example, RVCC purchased a non-energized X-ray machine for the Radiography program in
FY18 to improve outcomes for students and to meet industry standard trainings for the
accredited program.
Once the RVCC budget is created, it is merged with other CCSHN institution budgets and
with the budget of the System Office before being presented to the Board of Trustees
finance committee. Upon approval, it is presented to the entire Board of Trustees. Then,
each fall and spring, the BAO must present to the BoT and identify where RVCC stands
compared to the year’s predicted budget. For 2019, RVCC budgeted a loss, presenting as
general fund revenues of $9.483 million, salaries and benefits of $7.289, and operating
expenses of $2.251 million, with an estimated loss of $57,307. The fall forecast for 2019
is $9.642 million for revenue, and a $9.034 million forecast for expenses, with an
estimated surplus of $607,902. This surplus is due to positions being vacant, enrollment
numbers being higher than expected, and faculty and staff being conservative with
spending. This forecast will be modified again in the spring once more accurate tally
numbers for spring enrollment can be obtained, and salary and benefit data is accurately
updated to reflect new hires. Lastly, throughout the year, financial updates are provided to
the BoT on a monthly and quarterly basis.
Reserve Fund
Due to the high reliance on tuition revenue, the College is vulnerable to changes in
enrollment and is currently in the process of developing a plan to create a reserve fund
with the support of CCSNH and the Board of Trustees. The goal for each college in the
CCSNH is to create a reserve of 5% within the next 5 years to ensure that each college can
handle downward trends in enrollment. The strategic plan of the CCSNH accounts for the
development of this reserve by reducing costs to individual colleges through the utilization
of shared services (for example cutting Marketing, Institutional Research, and Banner
Coordinator costs for smaller rural colleges by utilizing a shared staff member).
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Finance Staff
RVCC ensures that it has sufficient professionally qualified finance staff which includes a
full-time Bursar and Senior Accounting Technician and a part-time Student Account
Representative led by a Chief Business Affairs Officer. The BAO holds an MBA and is a
Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years of experience. Prior to coming to RVCC in
August of 2016, the BAO spent time at a large, Ivy-league college; at public schools; and
as an auditor for both national and local firms. The organizational chart outlines the
oversight of the financial staff by the BAO, who also serves on the extended leadership
team at RVCC.
Budgetary Transparency
At RVCC, departments have input into their own budgets. Initial requests are generated
by the faculty and staff themselves who understand what is required to ensure student
needs are being met. Every semester the BAO presents the current financial positon to the
faculty and staff at the All-College Staff Meeting. The BAO gets daily updates from CCSNH
on financial information as well as credits sold so information related to revenue and
expenses can be evaluated daily. On a bi-monthly basis, the BAO updates the President
and senior administration on RVCC’s financial status and creates a budget projection and
expense report for review.
The BAO also presents the Financial Position of the College at every Advisory Council
meeting.
Response to Unexpected Budgetary Changes
Increased transparency in the budget has helped departments to understand not only their
own needs, but the needs of other departments. As a result, if one department is in need
of new equipment, but does not have any more financial resources, funds are reallocated
to enable the department in need to get the required equipment/materials. In the Spring
of 2017, the Science and the Medical Lab Technician program combined resources to
purchase $868.40 of microorganisms and chemicals for lab supplies. Because the MLT
budget was already allocated to other required programmatic expenses, the Science
department utilized excess monies they had and paid for a majority of the supplies. This
sharing of resources ensured that the MLT program would have the needed supplies for
the Pathogenic Microbiology course. In another example, in the summer of FY18, it was
discovered that the Medical Lab Technician program microscopes had not been serviced
and many were in a state of disrepair. This was an unplanned expense and there were not
enough funds in the program’s budget to address this need. Upon learning of the need,
the BAO, with permission of the President, reallocate Allied Health funds to accommodate
the needs of the program and ensure that the microscopes were ready for the beginning of
the fall semester.
Budgetary Oversight
The Board of Trustees, CCSNH, and RVCC administration all ensure oversight of the
financial resources and ethical practices of the College. There is an internal auditor at
CCSNH that oversees each college, and an external auditor examines CCSNH annually.
Additionally, CCSNH underwent a Legislative Bureau Audit. This Audit highlighted a
number of areas of concern which were addressed by the current administration and have
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een, or are being resolved. A CCSNH task force was assigned to create practices focusing
on accurate and honest budgeting. As a result of the LBA, CCSNH and RVCC are
completing a procedural overhaul, and improving many of our processes. The System
Office prepares RVCC’s Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP and our audit is
completed by an external auditor in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards
adopted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Grants & Additional Fundraising
While grant funding only accounts for 6%, on average, of our total revenue, these monies
are vital to the work we do with students. Over the past three fiscal years, our largest
continuous grant, Work Ready NH accounted for the following revenue: $164,000 (FY16);
$172,000(FY17); and $173,000 (FY18). Another major grant, the Carl D. Perkins Grant,
accounted for: $8000 (FY16); $40,000 (FY17); and $91,000 (FY18). During this
accreditation period, we also participated in a Federal Grant with the US Department of
Labor Employment and Training Administration for the H1B Grant related to our Advanced
Manufacturing program. The grant was awarded in FY13 for $4.9 million and was
extended through April of FY17. The majority of the spending for this grant was made in
FY17 with purchases of $1.2 million. During FY16 and FY17, in preparation for the opening
of the Lebanon Academic Center, RVCC received funding from the City of Lebanon as a
HUD Pass-thru in the amount of $475,000 and from the Northern Borders Regional
Commission in the amount of $150,000. These funds were expended as capital
improvements and appear in reporting as capital expenditures.
RVCC has not actively participated in fundraising since 2015. Fundraising efforts during
2013-2015 focused on increasing monies for scholarships. These scholarships have been
implemented over the past few years as the Envisioning a Brighter Future Scholarship (for
new and returning students). With CCSNH Foundation’s new Chief Advancement Officer,
we look forward to renewed fundraising efforts.
Appraisal of Resources
Financial Resources
Although RVCC still needs to diversify revenue resources and find new opportunities for
tailoring expenses, over the past two years we have gone from a college community that
did not even employ a Business Affairs Officer to a college that not only employs a full time
BAO, but receives financial briefings on a regular basis, and exhibits transparency as a
cornerstone of the financial processes. Potential future next-steps would be to integrate
salary and benefits information into our financial system, Banner. Currently, budgeting for
roughly 78% of the total RVCC budget is a manual process completed outside of the
accounting system in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. As a system of multiple colleges all
working together, using Microsoft Excel to calculate the majority of the budget is an
example of not having sufficient reporting tools to complete tasks in a timely and efficient
manner. What should take mere minutes becomes much more cumbersome as a result of
having to get information from the payroll system and the budgeting system separately.
In most organizations of this size, this is not a manual process. When comparing our
financial resources, RVCC and the CCSNH System rely heavily on paper processes, while
other colleges and academic institutions have often eliminated many of these processes
due to the technological advances of a fully integrated accounting system or even an
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enterprise management system. With advances in budgeting and accounting software
(some of which are available in Banner but have not been adopted by CCSNH), we could
become more accurate and more efficient.
Information, Physical, & Technological Resources
River Valley Community College has changed a great deal in our information, physical and
technological resources since the last self-study. The physical infrastructure has changed
significantly with the renovation of the main campus in 2013-2014; the purchase of a new
location for our Keene Academic Center; and the purchase and renovation of the defunct
Lebanon College in Lebanon, NH as our new Lebanon Academic Center. These updates
have been discussed in prior NECHE Progress Reports.
RVCC has also worked on prioritizing critical maintenance and safety for the institution.
Recent security upgrades at all RVCC locations include the installation of security cameras
inside and outside of the College, as well as the use of swipe cards on exterior and interior
doors. Upgrades to classrooms include new furniture and dedicated instructional
computers in most of the rooms that are used by RVCC students and faculty. Rooms that
we hope to upgrade in the future are the Anatomy & Physiology Lab, the Medical
Laboratory Technician Lab, the Medical Assistant Lab, the Chemistry Lab, and two small
classrooms. Recent academic technology upgrades include the transition from Blackboard
to Canvas and the migration from Banner 8 to Banner 9.
As mentioned earlier, the RVCC IT Department has also been invigorated with new
personnel. IT provides day-to-day support through a helpdesk ticketing system, email,
phone and in-person. IT provides all hardware, software, networking and phone support
for both the academic and administrative networks, as well as audio visual technological
support for all classrooms. RVCC IT provides Easy Login username and passwords for all
members of the college community which allows access to the network, SIS, Email,
Canvas and all library databases. IT works with end users to resolve day to day
technological problems and tracks potential external security threats, most commonly
“phishing” emails, while educating the college community about these types of threats as
soon as they are recognized.
The RVCC Library supports the academic needs of River Valley Community College through
the provision of information resources, services and instruction. The Library strives to be
an integrated and valued asset to the RVCC community and to support student success.
The Library staff pride themselves on their ability to recognize when information is needed
and to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information and provide access to
information resources that support the RVCC curriculum & research needs of students,
faculty & staff. The Library provides information literacy sessions at all levels; face-to-face
and email interactions with students and faculty; database tutorials; and a free information
literacy tutorial in Canvas that all students are registered for. The Library is approximately
ninety percent electronic, and the RVCC community can access the library holdings via use
of their Easy Login credentials at any time.
Strengths
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The RVCC Library continues to expand its services and collections.
Infrastructure has been updated at all three locations.

The RVCC IT Department has a student centered philosophy and is assessing IT
needs for all locations and modalities.
Challenges
College funding is highly dependent on tuition and fees revenue streams need to be
diversified.
Projections
By Summer 2020, the BAO and college administration will diversify revenue streams
to include grant funding, non-credit programs, and other means beyond tuition.
During the next Legislative Budget Cycle (FY2022-2024), RVCC will develop a plan
to request capital funds to improve our facilities infrastructure at main campus and
the academic centers, with a focus on the educational spaces that have not yet been
updated.
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Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Headcount of Employees by Occupational Category)
For each of the occupational categories below, enter the data reported on the IPEDS Human Resources Survey (Parts B and
D1) for each of the years listed.
If your institution does not submit IPEDS, visit this link for information about how to complete this form:
https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/Downloads/Forms/package_1_43.pdf
3 Years
2 Years 1 Year
Prior Prior
Prior Current Year
(FY 2013-2014 ) (FY 2014-2015 ) (FY 2015-2016 ) (FY 2016-2017 )
FT PT Total FT PT Total FT PT Total FT PT Total
Instructional Staff 27 193 220 29 118 147 30 134 164 28 99 127
Research Staff 0 0 0 0
Public Service Staff 0 0 0 0
Librarians 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1
Library Technicians 2 2 1 1 3 3 1 1
Archivists, Curators, Museum
staff 0 0 0 0
Student and Academic Affairs 12 38 50 10 47 57 12 39 51 15 27 42
Management Occupations 2 1 3 5 1 6 2 2 4 5 5
Business and Financial
Operations 3 2 5 4 1 5 4 4 4 4
Computer, Engineering and
Science 0 1 1 2 2 1 3 2 2
Community, Social Service,
Legal, Arts, Design,
Entertainment, Sports, and
Media 0 0 0 0
Healthcare Practitioners and
Technical 0 0 0 0
Service Occupations 0 5 5 10 4 5 9 4 5 9
Sales and Related
Occupations 0 0 0 0
Office and Administrative
Support 9 6 15 16 16 32 10 8 18 8 6 14
Natural Resources,
Construction, Maintenance 2 5 7 0 0 0
Production, Transportation,
Material Moving 0 0 0 0
Total 56 247 303 71 190 261 65 192 257 67 138 205
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Fiscal Year ends - month & day: (06/30)
ASSETS (in 000s)
2 Years Prior
(FY 2016 )
1 Year Prior
(FY 2017 )
Most Recent
Year
? Cash and Short Term Investments $1,861,336 $1,696,294 $3,260,808 -8.9% 92.2%
? Cash held by State Treasurer - -
? Deposits held by State Treasurer - -
? Accounts Receivable, Net $435,095 $388,155 $248,535 -10.8% -36.0%
? Contributions Receivable, Net - -
? Inventory and Prepaid Expenses - -
? Long-Term Investments $1,068,939 $1,094,284 - 2.4%
? Loans to Students $53,878 $53,580 $55,296 -0.6% 3.2%
? Funds held under bond agreement - -
? Property, plants, and equipment, net $10,291,200 $10,302,521 $9,747,560 0.1% -5.4%
? Other Assets $737,623 $1,344,070 $972,542 82.2% -27.6%
Total Assets $13,379,132 $14,853,559 $15,379,025 11.0% 3.5%
LIABILITIES (in 000s)
? Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $826,917 $523,229 $507,754 -36.7% -3.0%
? Deferred revenue & refundable advances $61,424 $81,862 $59,974 33.3% -26.7%
? Due to state $153,361 -100.0% -
? Due to affiliates - -
? Annuity and life income obligations - -
? Amounts held on behalf of others - -
? Long-term investments - -
? Refundable government advances - -
? Other long-term liabilities $6,326,707 $7,164,316 $15,053,995 13.2% 110.1%
Total Liabilities $7,368,409 $7,769,407 $15,621,723 5.4% 101.1%
NET ASSETS (in 000s)
Unrestricted net assets
Institutional $5,837,560 $5,937,846 ($1,362,005) 1.7% -122.9%
? Foundation - -
Total $5,837,560 $5,937,846 ($1,362,005) 1.7% -122.9%
Temporarily restricted net assets
Institutional $159,689 $270,785 $232,797 69.6% -14.0%
? Foundation - -
Total $159,689 $270,785 $232,797 69.6% -14.0%
Permanently restricted net assets
Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Statement of Financial Position/Statement of Net Assets)
Percent Change
2 yrs-1 yr prior 1 yr-most recent
Institutional $13,476 $875,521 $886,510 6396.9% 1.3%
? Foundation - -
Total $13,476 $875,521 $886,510 6396.9% 1.3%
? Total Net Assets $6,010,725 $7,084,152 ($242,698) 17.9% -103.4%
TOTAL LIABILITIES and NET ASSETS $13,379,134 $14,853,559 $15,379,025 11.0% 3.5%
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Fiscal Year ends - month& day: ( / )
OPERATING REVENUES (in 000s)
3 Years Prior
(FY2016 )
2 Years Prior
(FY2017 )
Most Recently
Completed Year
(FY 2018 )
Current Year
(FY 2019 )
Next Year
Forward
(FY 2020 )
? Tuition and fees $5,539,340 $4,922,250 $5,011,019 $5,076,858 $5,076,858
? Room and board
? Less: Financial aid -$1,398,875 -$1,070,225 -$1,215,626 -$1,164,415 -$1,164,415
Net student fees $4,140,465 $3,852,025 $3,795,393 $3,912,443 $3,912,443
? Government grants and contracts $300,404 $1,389,296 $176,707 $278,591 $278,591
? Private gifts, grants and contracts
? Other auxiliary enterprises $58,211 $51,267 $54,483 $61,090 $61,090
Endowment income used in operations
? Other revenue (specify): $159,805 $253,067 $183,569 $120,347 $120,347
Other revenue (specify):
Net assets released from restrictions
Total Operating Revenues $4,658,885 $5,545,655 $4,210,152 $4,372,471 $4,372,471
OPERATING EXPENSES (in 000s)
? Instruction $3,108,058 $4,296,246 $3,296,000 $2,845,515 $2,845,515
? Research $6,467 $9,093 $6,900 $5,957 $5,957
? Public Service $320 $400 $300 $259 $259
? Academic Support $1,601,105 $1,987,539 $1,525,000 $1,316,569 $1,316,569
? Student Services $839,138 $1,229,868 $944,000 $814,978 $814,978
? Institutional Support $2,394,703 $2,546,802 $1,953,000 $1,964,662 $1,964,662
Fundraising and alumni relations
? Operation, maintenance of plant (if not allocated) $2,026,286 $1,467,954 $1,126,000 $972,102 $972,102
Scholarships and fellowships (cash refunded by public
? institution) $1,157,996 $1,178,584 $1,486,443 $1,283,281 $1,283,281
? Auxiliary enterprises $46,684 $42,537 $33,000 $59,490 $59,490
? Depreciation (if not allocated)
? Other expenses (specify): $2,737,752 $38,605 $30,050 $25,943 $25,943
Other expenses (specify): $35,730 $277,307
Total operating expenditures $13,918,509 $12,797,628 $10,400,693 $9,324,486 $9,566,063
Change in net assets from operations -$9,259,624 -$7,251,973 -$6,190,541 -$4,952,015 -$5,193,592
NON OPERATING REVENUES (in 000s)
? State appropriations (net) $4,961,614 $5,152,158 $5,593,353 $5,610,017 $5,610,017
? Investment return $134,044 $92,439
? Interest expense (public institutions) -$57,145 -$56,456 -$55,742 -$55,001
Gifts, bequests and contributions not used in operations
Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Statement of Revenues and Expenses)
? Other (specify): Federal Non-Operating $3,197,316 $1,070,225 $1,215,626 $0
Other (specify): State Non-Operating $103,359 $270,817
Other (specify): Local Non-Operating $5,000 $0
Net non-operating revenues $8,158,930 $6,407,641 $7,115,779 $5,554,275 $5,555,016
Income before other revenues, expenses, gains, or
losses -$1,100,694 -$844,332 $925,238 $602,260 $361,424
? Capital appropriations (public institutions) $695,057 $442,225 $277,718 $35,730 $277,307
? Other (specify): $137,107 $105,183
TOTAL INCREASE/DECREASE IN NET
ASSETS -$405,637 -$265,000 $1,308,139 $637,990 $638,731
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FISCAL YEAR ENDS month & day ( / )
Long-term Debt
Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Statement of Debt)
3 Years Prior
(FY2016 )
2 Years Prior
(FY2017 )
Most Recently
Completed Year
(FY 2018 )
Current Year
(FY 2019 )
Next Year
Forward
(FY 2020 )
Beginning balance $0 $1,584,930 $1,566,235 $1,546,851 $1,526,753
Additions $1,600,000 $0 $0 $0 $0
? Reductions ($15,070) ($18,695) ($19,384) ($20,098) ($20,839)
Ending balance $1,584,930 $1,566,235 $1,546,851 $1,526,753 $1,505,914
Interest paid during fiscal year $48,130 $57,145 $56,456 $55,742 $55,001
Current Portion $18,695 $19,384 $20,098 $20,839 $21,607
Bond Rating
Debt Service Coverage
Operating Income / (Annual Interest +
Current Portion of Debt) -6.07 -3.46 17.09 8.33 8.34
Debt to Net Assets Ratio
Long-tem Debt / Total Net Assets 0.26 0.22 0.23 0.20 0.19
Debt to Assets Ratio
Long-term Debt / Total Assets 0.12 0.11 0.10 0.10 0.10
Debt Covenants: (1) Describe interest rate, schedule, and structure of payments; and (2) indicate whether the debt covenants
are being met. If not being met, describe the specific covenant violation (i.e., requirement of the lender vs. actual achieved by
the instituiton). Also, indicate whether a waiver has been secured from the lender and/or if covenants were modified.
Community Facilities Loan for the Purchase of LebanonBuilding Purcahse 2015 was signed on July 23, 2015 for $1.6 Million. The funds
were from the United States Department of Agriculture as a Rural Development Loan. Loan Repayment is 40 Years from the Date of
Loan Closing, debt service to be paid $75,840 based on amortized payments. Estimated Payments are $6,320/month with an interest
rate of 3.625%.
Line(s) of Credit: List the institutions line(s) of credit and their uses.
Future borrowing plans (please describe).
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FISCAL YEAR ENDS month & day (06 /30
)
Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Supplemental Data)
3 Years Prior
(FY2016 )
2 Years Prior
(FY2017 )
Most Recently
Completed Year
(FY 2018 )
Current Year
(FY 2019 )
Next Year
Forward
(FY 2020 )
NET ASSETS
Net assets beginning of year Total increase/decrease in net
$5,098,351 $6,010,725 $7,084,152 $6,841,454 $7,479,444
assets $912,374 $1,073,427 ($242,698) $637,990 $638,731
Net assets end of year $6,010,725 $7,084,152 $6,841,454 $7,479,444 $8,118,175
FINANCIAL AID
Source of funds
Unrestricted institutional $3,250 $211,122 $87,933 $145,680 $150,000
Federal, state and private grants $1,543,554 $1,178,584 $1,127,693 $1,018,735 $1,014,415
Restricted funds
Total $1,546,804 $1,389,706 $1,215,626 $1,164,415 $1,164,415
% Discount of tuition and fees 25.1% 15.2% 7.2% 12.5% 12.9%
? % Unrestricted discount 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
?
FEDERAL FINANCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY COMPOSITE
SCORE n/a n/a n/a n/a
Please indicate your institution's endowment spending policy:
RVCC doesn't have an endowment. Our endowment is housed at our CCSNH Foundation.
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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FISCAL YEAR ENDS month & day ( 06 /
30 )
Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Liquidity)
3 Years Prior
(FY2016 )
2 Years Prior
(FY2017 )
Most Recently
Completed Year
(FY 2018 )
Current Year
(FY 2019 )
Next Year
Forward
(FY 2020 )
CASH FLOW
Cash and Cash Equivalents
beginning of year $455,292 $1,861,336 $2,765,234 $2,765,234 $2,765,234
Cash Flow from Operating
Activities ($338,699) ($198,223) $1,199,643 $1,199,643 $1,199,643
Cash Flow from Investing Activities
Cash Flow from Financing Activities $1,744,743 $1,102,121 $390,212 $390,212 $390,212
Cash and Cash Equivalents
end of year $1,861,336 $2,765,234 $4,355,089 $4,355,089 $4,355,089
LIQUIDITY RATIOS
Current Assets $2,296,431 $2,084,449 $3,417,959 $3,417,959 $3,417,959
Current Liabilities $826,917 $605,091 $567,729 $567,729 $567,729
Current Ratio 2.78 3.44 6.02 6.02 6.02
Days Cash on Hand
[Cash and Cash Equivalents /
(Operating Expenses +
Depreciation and other noncash
expenses)]/ 365 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below that may impact the institution's cash flow.
For the Cash Flow projections, we are assuming status quo for FY19 and FY20. We do not forecast balance sheets, only income
statements.
Has the institution needed to access its restricted net assets or liquidate other financial assets to fund operations? If so, please
describe and indicate when approvals (if required) were obtained from the state's authority.
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below.
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Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Information Resources)
3 Years
Prior
2 Years
Prior
Most
Recently
Completed
Year
Current
Year
Next Year
Forward
(goal)
(FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 )
Total Expenditures 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020
Materials $31,000 $30,000
Salaries & wages (permanent staff) $128,476
Salaries & wages (student employees) $4,233 $2,007 $1,865 $1,563
Other operating expenses $49,121
Expenditures/FTE student
Materials $47
Salaries & wages (permanent staff) $196
Salaries & wages (student employees) $6
Other operating expenses $75
Collections
Percent available physically 15% 15% 10% 10% 10%
Percent available electronically 85% 85% 90% 90% 90%
Number of digital repositories 0 0 0 0 0
Personnel (FTE)
Librarians - main campus 3 3 3 3 3
Librarians - branch /other locations 0 0 0 0 0
Other library personnel - main campus 0 0 0 0 0
Other library personnel - branch/other locations 0 0 0 0 0
Availability/attendance
Hours of operation/week main campus 64 58 58 58 58
Hours of operation/week branch/other locations 0 0 0 0
0
Consortia/Partnerships
WALDO
OCLC
CCSNH Libraries
NHU PAC
NHCUC
URL https://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/puksta-library/information-literacy
of most http://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/puksta-library/information-literacy
recent library annual report:
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
See Form 4.5 for data about Information Literacy
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Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Technological Resources)
3 Years
Prior
2 Years
Prior
Most
Recently
Completed
Year
Current
Year
?
Next Year
Forward
(goal)
(FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 )
? Course management system
Canvas LMS
Number of classes using the system
Bandwidth
On-campus network 1 Gbps 1 Gbps 1 Gbps 1 Gbps 1 Gbps
Off-campus access
? commodity internet (Mbps) 500Mbps 500Mbps 500Mbps 500Mbps 500Mbps
? high-performance networks (Mbps) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
? Wireless protocol(s) A,B,G,N,ACA,B,G,N,AC A,B,G,N,AC A,B,G,N,ACA,B,G,N,AC
Typical classroom technology
Main campus
Branch/other locations
Projector, TV, Audio Speackers and Computer
Projector, TV, Audio Speakers and Computer
Software systems and versions
Students
Finances
Human Resources
Advancement
Library
Website Management
Portfolio Management
Interactive Video Conferencing
Digital Object Management
Banner 9
Banner 9
ADP from HRIS Systems & Banner 8.9
N/A
TWS / Traktec
N/A
Zoom
Website locations of technology policies/plans
Integrity and security of data
http://www.ccsnh.edu/about-ccsnh/information-technology
Privacy of individuals
http://www.ccsnh.edu/about-ccsnh/information-technology
Appropriate use
http://www.ccsnh.edu/about-ccsnh/information-technology
Disaster and recovery plan
http://www.ccsnh.edu/about-ccsnh/information-technology
Technology replacement
http://www.ccsnh.edu/about-ccsnh/information-technology
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
RVCC-Claremont has 500Mbps internet connection, and a 50Mbps Cloud connection. RVCC-Keene has a 130Mbps Internet and
50Mbps Cloud connection. RVCC-Lebanon has a 130Mbps Internet connection and 50Mbps cloud connection. The cloud
connection is to our internal data centers that house Banner, phone systems, internal resources. We use O365 for mail and MS
applications. We have access to I2 via our service provider (IBEAM0.
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Campus location
Main campus
Other U.S. locations
International locations
Standard 7: Institutional Resources
(Physical Resources)
Serviceable
Buildings
Assignable Square
Feet (000)
3 Years
Prior
2 Years
Prior
1 Year
Prior
Current
Year
Next Year
Forward
(goal)
(FY 2014 ) (FY 2015 )(FY 2016 )(FY 2017 )(FY 2018 )
Revenue ($000)
Capital appropriations (public institutions)
Operating budget
Gifts and grants
Debt
Total $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Expenditures ($000)
New Construction
Renovations, maintenance and equipment
Technology
Total $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Assignable square feet (000) Main campus Off-campus Total
Classroom 5,863 5,863
Laboratory 16,697 16,697
Office 6,495 6,495
Study 7,831 7,831
Special 286 286
General 2,848 2,848
Support 1,231 1,231
Residential 0 0
Other 0 0
Major new buildings, past 10 years (add rows as needed)
Building name Purpose(s)
Assignable Square Feet (000) Cost (000) Year
Keene Academic Center satelite campus
18,672.00
Lebanon Acedimic Center satelite campus
New buildings, planned for next 5 years (add rows as needed)
Building name Purpose(s)
Assignable Square Feet Cost (000) Year
Main Campus
Major Renovations, past 10 years (add rows as needed)
The list below includes renovations costing $XXX or more
Building name Purpose(s)
Assignable Square Feet Cost (000) Year
Renovations planned for next 5 years (add rows as needed)
The list below includes renovations costing $XXX or more
Building name Purpose(s)
Assignable Square Feet Cost (000) Year
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Standard Eight
Educational Effectiveness
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Description
River Valley Community College demonstrates its effectiveness by ensuring that levels of
student success are satisfactory, consistent with the degree/certificate awarded, and
appropriate to the College’s Mission and Purposes. The College gathers and analyzes data
on many of RVCC’s expected outcomes utilizing key institution-wide student success
measures, including program passage rates, academic program review, and Graduate
Satisfaction Surveys. To date, data across the four locations: Claremont, Lebanon, Keene,
and online are aggregated. Students at RVCC are not assigned to a specific campus, but
are a member of RVCC as a whole; therefore, data collected on students is not reflective of
any one location. Students often take courses in multiple locations simultaneously,
particularly since the geography of the Claremont Campus and the Lebanon Academic
Center are so close. For example, Business programs offer Zoom classes to allow students
at any location to attend. Data relevant to these success measures will be explored fully
later in this section. The Community College System of New Hampshire provides
enrollment and retention data needed for program review. The Registrar’s Office provides
graduate rates, IPEDS/VFA reporting, and the Academic Affairs Office has initiated
strategic planning. Other departments such as the Student Success Center and Career
Services, Admissions, and Academic Affairs collect specific student data important to their
respective functions. Many programs evaluate data to meet their individual accrediting
agency standards and the internal college program review process helps to evaluate the
effectiveness of non-accredited programs. RVCC enrolls students into either certificate or
degree programs as one student body.
Of interest to note, and one of the reasons data collection can be confusing, is that CCSNH
and RVCC use two distinct databases: IPEDS and Veera Bridge. IPEDS data is reported
through the Registrar’s Office by pulling reports from Banner and is reported from July to
June of the previous year. Veera Bridge pulls data from our Banner reporting system but
aggregates it by semester. Banner is the CCSNH database that is used to track all aspects
of individual student records from application to registration. Since RVCC follows three
semesters (fall: mid-August through December, spring: January through mid-May, and
summer: mid-May through mid-August); data pulled from Veera Bridge does not match
exactly with IPEDS. The differences in reporting cycles sometimes leads to a slight
mismatch in the numbers seen across data although both reporting systems are accurate.
Data Collection, Assessment & Effectiveness
College Outcomes
RVCC clearly identifies the expected outcomes for the College in the College Catalog and
on the website. The Expected Outcomes of the College are reflective of the mission of
RVCC and identify ways in which the College works to transform lives through personal
approaches to each student. RVCC is an open access college and provides access to
higher education for all members of the community. At River Valley, 53% of the student
population are age 21 and over. In Fall of 2017, of the 859 students enrolled at the
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College, 88% (754) of the students were seeking degrees while the remaining were nondegree
or certificate students (IPEDS). Students in the College have access to majors
that lead directly to the workforce, or allow for transfer to four year institutions through
the Liberal Arts degree.
The expected outcomes are also reflective of the College’s dedication to meeting our
students where they are. Our college strives to provide academic support services that
meet the needs of each student to improve and enrich their college experience. These
services include Tutoring & Disability Services, Library Services, and Financial Aid Services.
All students have access to peer tutors through the Student Success Center. In Fall of
2017, 85 students across 45 classes utilized the peer tutoring services. While the main
library is found at the Claremont campus, with, approximately 15,000 physical books and
1300 media sources (DVDs and audio CDs); the majority of students access the library
resources via electronic sources. The Puksta Library provides access to 183,000 electronic
books and 70,000 electronic journals. Students are supported further by a strong
Financial Aid department and 56% of the students utilize Financial Aid at the College.
Proof that the College is “preparing individuals for employment in a variety of careers…”
can be seen via the variety of majors in which River Valley students enroll. The College
Catalog is diverse and serves to meet the needs of the region via majors in Business,
Computer Sciences, Education, and Health Care. These majors are reflective of the
economic drivers in the areas of the River Valley catchment area.
Figure 8.1: Percent of Student Body Enrolled by Major
RVCC’s outcomes reflect the College’s mission to provide lifelong learning and career
pathways by addressing not only the traditional degree-seeking student; but also
recognize the students who attend the College seeking to transfer to four year institutions
or improve vocational skills as described below.
Assessment of Learning
Programmatic outcomes are supported by the curriculum design of each program and by
the courses offered as part of the curriculum. Programmatic outcomes are reflective of the
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expectations of industry standards for associate degrees and incorporate cognitive,
psychomotor, and affective domains as appropriate. An excellent example of the
demonstration of programmatic outcomes is in the Allied Health, Health Science, and
Nursing departments. National Exam Pass Rates and Job Placement Rates are traditionally
higher than the national average for most programs.
Table 8.1: 2017 Programmatic Outcomes in Allied Health, Health Science, and
Nursing Programs
Program
Ultimate Exam Pass
Rates
Job Placement
Rates
Medical Assistant 83% 93.3%
Medical Lab Technician 100% 100%
Nursing 100% 100%
Occupational Therapy Assistant 94% 96%
Physical Therapist Assistant 100% 100%
Radiologic Technology 59% 59%
Respiratory Therapy 77% 89%
The program outcomes for the Associate in Liberal Arts are geared towards a more
generalist approach to education and are designed for the student wishing to transfer to a
four-year degree (Table 8.2). While students occasionally transfer to out of state schools,
or private schools in New Hampshire, the majority of students transfer directly to the
University System of New Hampshire (USNH). The USNH includes five universities
including University of New Hampshire (UNH), UNH-Manchester (UNHM), Plymouth State
University (PSU), Granite State University (GSU), and Keene State University (KSU). In
2017, data from the USNH Institutional Research Offices included a total of 61 RVCC
students seeking application to USNH colleges. Fifty-seven of those students were
accepted, and 42 of them ultimately enrolled in USNH colleges (Figure 8.2). Of the 42
enrolling in USNH schools, only 36% of the students had completed an associate degree
before enrolling, but they carried an average GPA of 3.39.
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Figure 8.2 – RVCC Student Transfer to USNH
RVCC students transferring to USNH schools choose Nursing (21%), Business (14%), and
Psychology (10%) for their Bachelor’s Degree (Figure 8.3). RVCC students had a 1-year
retention rate between Fall 2015 and Fall 2016 (most current data available) of 78% and
an overall 6-year graduation rate (entering Fall 2016 with degree by Fall 2016), of 36%.
Figure 8.3 – RVCC to USNH Transfer, Chosen Major
Programmatic outcomes are supported by each course in the curriculum plan, and
curriculum plans are designed to ensure students are progressing towards achievement of
programmatic outcomes. Each course has a course outline, described in Standard Four,
which identifies the outcomes for that particular course. Course objectives for each course
are written in measureable terms and are assessed by the Curriculum Committee to assure
that course objectives are appropriate for the course level. Most courses at RVCC have
outcomes that are written based on Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Curriculum Committee
evaluates each program to ensure that objectives in early level courses are based on lower
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levels of the taxonomy, while courses later in the programs have objectives that assess
higher levels of the taxonomy. Ultimately, the objectives of each course build on one
another in order to progress the student toward meeting the programmatic outcomes.
Assessment of learning occurs mostly at the course level and is the responsibility of the
faculty teaching each course as overseen by the Program Directors. The course outlines
identify expected types of assessment methods for each course. Assessment at RVCC
includes traditional methods such as quizzes, tests, projects, laboratory practical exams,
projects, portfolios, and presentations. Assessment methods are designed to meet the
type of outcome; for example, tests and quizzes are utilized to measure knowledge
outcomes, while practical exams are often used to measure psychomotor skills.
One example of assessment at the course level occurred in Phlebotomy (PHBC 110R),
which had a traditional rate of approximately 50% success, meaning only half of all
students who started the course were successful enough (passing with a C or better) to
move onto the second half of the certificate, the Phlebotomy Internship (PHBC190R). This
data remained consistent regardless of instructor, variability in teaching, or variability in
testing methods. In March of 2017, the Department Chair of Health Science, after
consultation with the adjunct faculty at the time, put forth a curriculum change to add a
formal lab component to the course. The course was originally a 3 credit lecture course
with a primary focus on theory. While psychomotor skills were taught and tested, the
format of the course did not allow for enough seat time for students to practice and perfect
technique. In March of 2017 the course was changed to a lecture/lab course with students
spending 2 hours of lecture (2 credits) and 2 hours of lab (1 credit) each week in class.
This increased the psychomotor practice time without increasing credit load to the
students. Simultaneously, the Phlebotomy program went through the Perkins grant to
obtain two new practice draw arms which were put in place in the course in Fall of 2018.
The restructuring of the course, and the obtainment of new teaching tools, lead to an
increased success rate of students completing PHBC 110R and being eligible to continue on
to PHBC 190R. In Fall of 2018, 89.5% of students taking PHBC 110R passed with a C or
better and were eligible to take the Phlebotomy Internship.
Another unique assessment method that occurs at the College is in the Anatomy &
Physiology (A&P) courses to ensure student learning is the use of common exams and
common case studies. All students, regardless of the course section they are taking, or
the instructor they are taking A&P I or II with, have the same exams and also complete
the same final case study. By having a common exam and case study, the Program
Director of Biological Sciences has a way to measure student learning across the program
as well as has data that assists with looking at teaching effectiveness. The Program
Director looks at the average scores and score distribution for each section of the course to
see if there are significant differences in content knowledge and grades. She also
compares scores on final case studies and exams to previous semesters. There have not
been any significant differences to note on the final case studies; but in one instance, the
Program Director saw that in one section of A&P II, students were scoring far lower on
their exams than students in other sections. The Program Director met with the faculty
and realized that the instructor was not using the study guides and was not giving
homework assignments. The Program Director began monitoring the faculty more closely
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to ensure students were provided study guides and homework assignments. Following
these changes, exam scores increased and fell more in line with the other course sections.
Another way in which these common assignments in A&P I and A&P II has been useful in
assessing outcomes is by providing a way for the Program Director to recognize gaps in
student knowledge. On the final case studies there is a set of expected answers. If there
is an answer to a question that varies considerably from the expectations of the
instructors, it provides a clue that there is a gap in teaching of particular content. In A&P
II, reviewing problem areas on exams has led to improvements in teaching of specific
concepts (blood typing and transfusions) as well as improving the way in which A&P I and
A&P II concepts are related including: greater emphasis on second messenger systems
and organic compounds; greater emphasis on cell respiration and organelle function;
greater emphasis on hormones, and greater emphasis on adrenergic receptors and effects.
The most widespread data collection that shows course outcomes are reflected in the data
collected as part of the Math Co-Requisite Project described in Standard Five. Prior to
implementation of the Co-Requisite Project, students in developmental math courses had
only a 21% likelihood of passing a college-level mathematics course within two years. The
pass rate for Spring 2018 was 94%. These results are significantly higher than the pass
rates for students who begin in developmental mathematics, and are at or above the pass
rates of students who meet the prerequisites for college-level mathematics.
Most of the Allied Health programs including Nursing, as well as the Early Childhood
Education and Social Science programs, have additional assessments of job readiness by
requiring their students to participate in off-campus learning experiences. These clinical
rotations, affiliations, practicums, internships and fieldworks provide direct, hands-on
learning in the field of study. These courses are assessed through multiple avenues which
include both direct observation of the student by RVCC faculty as well as via informal
(phone or in-person conversations) and formal (completion of provided grading rubrics)
assessments by the non-faculty professionals in the field who are hosting and supervising
the RVCC students. Data related to outcome measures for these experiences is kept by
each Clinical Coordinator or Program Director. For example, the Physical Therapist
Director of Clinical Education provides a summation of the outcomes of the assessment
tool completed by the Clinical Preceptors working with RVCC students to the other faculty
in the PTA program upon completion of the clinical courses. For the Spring of 2018 cohort
(senior level clinical affiliation), the expectation at the end is that the students are rated at
“entry-level” meaning they are considered by their preceptor to be ready to step into clinic
work with only minimal supervision. The DCE provided the following summation of student
assessment: “All students were rated as entry level by their clinical instructor after their
clinical affiliation. The number of patients seen varied greatly between settings and
individual clinics. Some students saw a maximum of 5 patients a day and some saw 10.
The complexity of the patients varied greatly among the settings as well. Overall, the
clinicians supervising the students agree that they are entry level PTAs after their senior
affiliation.”
Many of the Allied Health programs have student learning outcomes related to professional
behaviors. Professionalism in the Allied Health fields has been an area highlighted by
advisory committees in recent years, and in response, programs have implemented course
objectives or program objectives which are reflective of professional behaviors expected in
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the profession. To assess meeting of these objectives, faculty have students complete
professional behavior rubrics throughout their programs.
Assessment at the College is an area of continuous improvement. In October of 2018, our
VPAA attended the 2018 Assessment Institute in Indianapolis conference. The Assessment
Institute in Indianapolis is “the nation’s oldest and largest event focused exclusively on
outcomes and assessment in higher education.” (www.assessmentinstitute.iupui.edu) At
this three-day conference, the VPAA was able to attend workshops dedicated to teaching
improved assessment techniques to the College. Since attending this conference, the
VPAA is working systematically to implement a college assessment plan. This begins with
a revisit of the college mission and college outcomes and developing standardized plans for
how each outcome will be measured. From there, the VPAA and Program Directors will
review programmatic outcomes for measurability and assessment techniques; followed by
a review of each course in the program for measurable outcomes and assessment
techniques. The VPAA is aware that some of this work is being done already, as described
previously with regards to the accredited programs, but would like it to be much more
systematic, intentional, and widespread. Specifically, this process will begin with the
Liberal Arts program and will start with the College Composition course. The VPAA and the
new Interim Liberal Arts Program Director are looking at implementation of a uniform
assessment tool across all College Composition courses similar to the standardized
assessments used in Anatomy & Physiology courses. This will require adoption of a
current tool or development of a unique tool, establishing baselines of expectations, and
implementing the tool at the beginning and end of the courses. The VPAA envisions a
standardized grading rubric to compare pre-course and post-course performance and to
measure course outcomes. Once this process is successfully tested and implemented in
College Composition, this process will be duplicated in other Liberal Arts courses.
Co-Curricular Outcomes
A stated goal of the College is that it will “offer students the opportunity to contribute to
the well-being of others through service learning and volunteerism.” Student life
opportunities such as Student Government Association (SGA), Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), and
individual student clubs are described in Standard Five. Examples of service learning and
volunteer activities undertaken by these clubs in recent years include:
Money raised by the Massage Therapy student club from providing massages
in the student clinic is donated to the Hand to Heart Project
(www.handtoheartproject.org), a group that provides massage to cancer
patients in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Members of PTK volunteered time and materials to build a ramp so that a
classmate could access his home after undergoing a serious medical
procedure.
The SGA and students in the Physical Therapist Assistant program run food
drives to support the Claremont Food Kitchen as well as support the food
pantries located at each of our three locations.
Students and staff fundraise for the Turning Points Network, an organization
dedicated to ending domestic violence
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(https://www.turningpointsnetwork.org/) via participation in their “Steppin’
Up to End Violence” 5K event.
Satisfaction with Co-Curricular activities are assessed via the Graduate Satisfaction
Survey. In 2018, 48% of students reported that they “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” with the
statement “I was aware of extracurricular activities available to me and I participated in
them.” This number reflects the nature of the student population, many of whom are nontraditional
students who may only come to campus when they have classroom
responsibilities.
Qualitative and Quantitative Data Leading to Programmatic Improvements
RVCC uses a number of measures to assess the experience and outcomes of our students.
Qualitative measures such as course evaluations identify student satisfaction with
instructors, course content, course organization, textbook and electronic resources, and
the ability of courses to meet expected outcomes. These evaluations are used by Program
Directors and Department Chairs when evaluating faculty as described in Standard Six.
Results of these course surveys help Program Directors and Department Chairs evaluate
the effectiveness of the learning experience. Course surveys help to inform training
needed for specific adjunct faculty, textbook needs, and suggestions for how to improve
individual courses. Specific examples of changes made as a result of these questionnaires
is described in Standard Two.
Each year, the College issues a Graduate Satisfaction Survey to each graduating senior.
This survey assesses student satisfaction with most areas of the College. Overall, students
are satisfied with their experience at RVCC (Figure 8.4).
Figure 8.4: Graduate Satisfaction Survey AY2017-2018
Percent of students choosing “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” for a given
category
Many programs utilize advisory boards to assist with qualitative assessment of the
program. Advisory boards include members of the public, alumni, and employers from the
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area and allow Program Directors a way to get external feedback on student readiness,
curriculum changes, and learning outcome appropriateness. Some programs in the Allied
Health department also employ Employee Satisfaction Surveys which survey area
employers that hire our graduates. These surveys provide data to programs which assist
in assessing if we are preparing our students appropriately for the workforce. Feedback
from advisory boards is invaluable in assisting Program Directors with program content
and relevance of curricula to the current workforce. In 2017, the MLT program underwent
a re-design to better align the curriculum with workforce needs. As a result of input from
the Advisory Board, the program shifted its Clinical Practicums from being spread out
throughout the curriculum to combining all areas (Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology,
Urinalysis, and Blood Bank) into one practicum offered in the final semester of the
program. In addition to this, the advisory board had provided feedback that MLT students
were not entering the workforce with enough confidence in phlebotomy skills. As such,
competencies related to phlebotomy skills were added to the final practicum. The first
group of students going through the new curriculum are completing their practicums in
Spring of 2019. Data assessing effectiveness of the new curriculum will be evaluated at the
Fall 2019 Advisory Board Meeting.
RVCC is very proud that its student outcomes and levels of academic expectations are
equivalent to similar students in the NH University System (UNH, Plymouth State, Keene
State, and Granite State). Members of the Math and Science department worked as part
of a CCSNH delegation with the University System delegation to create course
equivalencies. On the surface, this work merely ensures that students taking specific
classes at RVCC will have no difficulty transferring courses to the university system;
however, what the work truly does is identify that students meeting specific course
outcomes at RVCC are equivalent to students meeting the same course outcomes at the
University System. Recently, courses in the English, Humanities, and Social Sciences have
also been approved for course equivalency at the University System level.
Student Success
RVCC student success is measured in a variety of ways including certificate completion or
transfer; licensure passage rates in the Allied Health programs; and employment rates as
described earlier in this Standard narrative. Each program defines its unique program
outcomes based on the standard of the industry they are preparing students for. Many
accredited programs in the Allied Health, Health Science and Nursing departments set
outcomes based on national accreditation agency thresholds and include data collection
related to retention rates, graduation rates, board pass rates, licensure rates, employment
rates. These accredited program thresholds are often established based on national
averages and RVCC’s maintenance of accredited programs is dependent on meeting or
exceeding these thresholds. Each accredited program publishes this data on its program
website and regularly meets or exceeds national standards
College wide success cutoffs have not been established, but RVCC tracks completion rates
(Figure 8.5), retention rates, transfer rates, and Financial Aid loan default rates. Between
Fall 2016 and Fall 2017, the first to second year retention rate of first time, degree seeking
students was 51% for full-time students and 37% for part-time students.
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Figure 8.5 – RVCC Program Completers (totals)
Defining Student Success
River Valley has historically defined success in traditional ways such as looking at degree
completion, board pass rates, and employment in desired field. However, recent
discussions at the Department Chair and Program Director level have identified that with
the population of students at RVCC, these definitions are too narrow. More and more,
students are coming to RVCC not with a goal of degree or certificate completion but with a
goal of transfer or a goal to improve work skills in their current field. Initial discussions
began related to development of a standard advising model whereby all incoming students
would self-identify their goals and then advisors could track goal completion for students
who do not fall into the traditional model of “completion.” This dove-tailed with the
discussions of the upcoming implementation of Degree Works for advising as it would
make sense to implement all changes at the same time.
Student success measures are incorporated into all accredited program yearly reports and
self-studies and are reported on program webpages as required by most national
accrediting agencies. Student success measures have also been incorporated into Section
VIII of the newly redesigned in-college program review process outlined in Standard Four.
These measures help to provide data for Program Directors and Department Chairs to
assist with suggestions for program improvements.
Appraisal of Data Collection, Assessment & Effectiveness
Data collection is the responsibility of individual Program Directors or Division Directors.
Accredited programs do an excellent job of gathering and assessing data related to student
outcomes, but this is not yet done consistently across the College.
RVCC students are provided with clear information regarding learning outcomes through
college and course documentation. The College strives to measure the effectiveness of
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student learning at the course level, program level, and institutional level and utilize the
data gathered to improve the student experience. Graduate Satisfaction Surveys and
graduate placement data are used by the institution to gain a better understanding of
student success. At the program level, Program Directors use a variety of methods and
tools to assure that a high level of educational quality is maintained.
Currently, RVCC relies on Veera Bridge for data relative to retention rates, enrollment
rates, and other demographic data. While this is somewhat useful, we are in the beginning
stages of using this tool. It should also be noted that Rapid Insights, the provider, is still
developing the resource using CCSNH as their test site. The implementation of Degree
Works for Academic Advisors should also serve to provide additional data collection tools
related to student retention.
One of the areas of concern at RVCC was the declining completion rate over the past three
Academic Years (Figure 8.1). This, in conjunction with the data provided in Chart 8.1
shows that the majority of students enroll in the College as “General Studies: Exploratory”
majors. This is attributed to the large number of competitive Allied Health programs at
the College. When students do not meet admission requirements of their major of choice;
or if they enter the College during a semester when their program doesn’t start; or if they
would like to complete their General Education requirements prior to applying to their
program of choice, they enter into the General Studies: Exploratory option while they
continue to pursue acceptance into their program of choice. Ninety percent of students in
General Studies: Exploratory are interested in matriculating into an Allied Health program.
Many of these students do not complete as the General Education program is only to be
utilized for the first 24 credits of college.
The College recognized this as a concern and in Fall of 2018, under the leadership of the
General Studies Academic Advisor, and with the support of VPAA Jahn, began to develop a
solution to this situation. Recognizing the draw of the Allied Health programs at the
College, the Academic Advisor and the Department Chair of Health Science began
developing a certificate that will take the place of the General Studies: Exploratory option.
This Certificate in Health Applications will prepare students for entry level health care
positions such as Home Health Aids, Rehabilitation Aids, Dietetic Aids, and Health &
Wellness Coaches while simultaneously allowing students to complete their General
Education requirements for the Allied Health, Health Science, or Nursing programs.
Students who do not transfer out of the certificate into their Allied Health program of
choice will now be able to complete a certificate in two semesters. As of the writing of this
report, this new certificate is before the Curriculum Team.
Another area of concern from the assessment data was the relatively low Exam Pass Rate
percentage in the Radiographic Technology program in Fall of 2017. This low pass rate
caused students to place a complaint with the accrediting body, JCERT, who came for a
surprise site visit. At the time, a new Program Director had just been hired and the
Clinical Coordinator had left unexpectedly. The low pass rate, in conjunction with not
having a dedicated Clinical Coordinator, caused the program to be placed on probation
with their national accrediting body. In response to this, the new Program Director
updated the curriculum, completed a new self-study (2017), and in December of 2018 a
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new Clinical Coordinator was hired. The probationary status will be re-evaluated by JCERT
in May of 2019.
Strengths
Allied Health, Health Science, and Nursing programs, which make up the majority of
the College Catalog, have strong data collection and assessment processes as a
result of their national accreditation needs.
The College has an established Curriculum Committee which is responsible for
oversight of course outcomes and does an excellent job of ensuring course
outcomes are reflective of appropriate course level and expectations are written in
measureable terms.
Many programs have strong advisory boards and Program Directors with strong
connections to the workforce.
Challenges
The College does not have a dedicated Institutional Researcher or a person
dedicated to doing this work; therefore, many people are collecting data in a variety
of ways which can make comparisons difficult.
The College does not have consistent ways to measure college outcomes for
students who enter the College without completion as a goal.
Projections
By Spring 2020, The Program Director/Department Chair Group will create a
standard set of advising questions that can allow Program Directors to have student
self-identify goals. These goals can then be assessed and measured as part of the
advising process each semester.
Completion rates of the new Health Applications Certificate will be tracked in relation
to the overall completion rates and the completion rate of the General Studies:
Exploratory option. This will begin with the first certificate cohort beginning
graduating Spring 2020.
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Student Success Measures/
Prior Performance and Goals
IPEDS Retention Data
3 Years
Prior
2 Years
Prior
1 Year
Prior Current Year
Next Year
Forward
(goal)
(FY2015-2016) (FY2016-2017) (FY2017-2018) (FY2018-2019) (FY2019-2020)
Associate degree students **63% 57% 60% 51% 60%
Bachelors degree students
? IPEDS Graduation Data (150% of time)
Associate degree students 27% 27% 24% 24% 24%
Bachelors degree students
? IPEDS Outcomes Measures Data
First-time, full time students
Awarded a degree within six years 41% 48% 43% 27% 35%
Awarded a degree within eight years 41% 48% 43% 27% 35%
Not awarded within eight years but still enrolled 6% 3% 2% 0% 0%
First-time, part-time students
Awarded a degree within six years 26% 29% 30% 24% 25%
Awarded a degree within eight years 26% 30% 31% 26% 25%
Not awarded within eight years but still enrolled 4% 3% 3% 0% 0%
Non-first-time, full-time students
Awarded a degree within six years 68% 43% 81% 77% 75%
Awarded a degree within eight years 68% 43% 81% 77% 75%
Not awarded within eight years but still enrolled 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Non-first-time, part-time students
Awarded a degree within six years 64% 67% 62% 50% 55%
Awarded a degree within eight years 64% 67% 62% 50% 55%
Not awarded within eight years but still enrolled 1% 0% 2% 0% 0%
? Other Undergraduate Retention/Persistence Rates (Add definitions/methodology in #1 below)
1 Male
50% 50% 50%
Female 33% 52% 30%
2 White 39% 52% 47%
Hispanic 50%
Black or African American 0%
Asian 50%
Two or more races 100%
3 Race/Ethnicity Unknown
Standard 8: Educational Effectiveness
(Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates)
4
5
? Other Undergraduate Graduation Rates (Add definitions/methodology in # 2 below)
1
2
3
4
5 **These are percentages for full-time, Certificate and Associate
Definition and Methodology Explanations
Simple retention calculation: number of students enrolled in original cohort that were still enrolled or graduated as a percent of the original
1 cohort enrollment.
Students awarded an Associates degree include students originally enrolled as Associates Degree and Certificate students. Calculation based
2
only on those students who earned an Associates Degree.
Note: complete this form for each distinct student body identified by the institution (See Standard 8.1)
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Bachelor Cohort Entering Associate Cohort Entering
? Category of Student/Outcome Measure 6 years ago 4 years ago 6 years ago 4 years ago
? First-time, Full-time Students
20% 30%
2% 2%
23% 9%
Transferred to a different institution 27% 26%
Not graduated, never transferred, no longer enrolled 28% 57%
? First-time, Part-time Students
10% 12%
3% 1%
13% 7%
Transferred to a different institution 26% 23%
Not graduated, never transferred, no longer enrolled 49% 56%
? Non-first-time, Full-time Students
?
Standard 8: Educational Effectiveness
(Student Success and Progress Rates and Other Measures of Student Success)
Degree from original institution
Not graduated, still enrolled at original institution
Degree from a different institution
Degree from original institution
Not graduated, still enrolled at original institution
Degree from a different institution
Degree from original institution
Not graduated, still enrolled at original institution
Degree from a different institution
21% 34%
0% 0%
18% 14%
Transferred to a different institution 41% 20%
Not graduated, never transferred, no longer enrolled 20% 32%
Non-first-time, Part-time Students
Degree from original institution
Not graduated, still enrolled at original institution
Degree from a different institution
20% 32%
2% 0%
12% 12%
Transferred to a different institution 33% 26%
Not graduated, never transferred, no longer enrolled 33% 30%
Measures of Student Achievement and Success/Institutional Performance and Goals
3 Years
Prior
2 Years
Prior
1 Year
Prior Current Year
Next Year
Forward (goal)
(FY 2015-2016) (FY2016-2017) (FY 2017-2018)(FY 2018-2019)(FY 2019-2020)
Success of students pursuing higher degrees (add more rows as needed; add definitions/methodology in #1 below)
1
2
3
4
Other measures of student success and achievement, including success of graduates in pursuing mission-related paths (e.g.,
Peace Corps, public service, global citizenship, leadership, spiritual formation) and success of graduates in fields for which
they were not explicitly prepared (add more rows as needed; add definitions/methodology in #2 below)
1
2
3
4
Definition and Methodology Explanations
1
2
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Most Recent
3-Years Prior 2 Years Prior 1 Year Prior
Year
(FY 2014-2015 ) (FY 2015-2016 ) (FY 2016-2017 ) (FY 2017-2018 )
? State Licensure Examination Passage Rates
Name of exam
# who
took exam
# who
passed
# who
took exam
# who
passed
# who
took exam
# who
passed
# who
took exam
# who
passed
1 NCLEX-RN
28 26 24 22 29 29
2
3
4
5
? National Licensure Passage Rates
Name of exam
# who
took exam
# who
passed
# who
took exam
# who
passed
# who
took exam
# who
passed
1 ACSP BOC
4 4
2 NBCOT
13 13 16 15 11 6
3 CMA(AAMA)
10 7 8 7 5 3
4
5
?
Standard 8: Educational Effectiveness
(Licensure Passage and Job Placement Rates and
Completion and Placement Rates for Short-Term Vocational Training Programs)
Job Placement Rates
# with
jobs
# with
jobs
# with
jobs
# who
took exam
# who
passed
Major/time period * # of grads
# of grads
# of grads
# of grads # with jobs
1 A.S., Respiratory Therapy, one year 6 5 12 10 9 8 12 11
2 A.S., Physical Therapy Assistant, one year 10 10 11 11 12
3
4
5
* Check this box if the program reported is subject to "gainful employment" requirements.
Web location of gainful employment report (if applicable)
Completion and Placement Rates for Short-Term Vocational Training Programs for which students are eligible for
Federal Financial Aid
Next Year
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Forward
Prior Prior Prior Year (goal)
(FY 2 ) (FY2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 )
? Completion Rates
1
2
3
4
5
? Placement Rates
1
2
3
4
5
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Student Success Measures/
Prior Performance and Goals
3 Years
Prior
2 Years
Prior
1 Year
Prior
Next Year
Forward
(goal)
Current Year
(FY 2 ) (FY2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 )
? Master's Programs (Add definitions/methodology in #1 below)
Retention rates first-to-second year
Graduation rates @ 150% time
Average time to degree
Other measures, specify:
Standard 8: Educational Effectiveness
(Graduate Programs, Distance Education, Off-Campus Locations)
? Doctoral Programs (Add definitions/methodology in #2 below)
Retention rates first-to-second year
Graduation rates @ 150% time
Average time to degree
Other measures, specify:
? First Professional Programs (Add definitions/methodology in #3 below)
Retention rates first-to-second year
Graduation rates @ 150% time
Average time to degree
Other measures, specify:
Distance Education (Add definitions/methodology in #4 below)
Course completion rates
Retention rates
Graduation rates
Other measures, specify:
Branch Campus and Instructional Locations (Add definitions/methodology in #5 below)
Course completion rates
Retention rates
Graduation rates
Other measures, specify:
Definition and Methodology Explanations
1
2
3
4
5
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Standard Nine
Integrity, Transparency & Public
Disclosure
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Description
River Valley Community College works diligently to adhere to the mission and vision of the
College in all dealings with the students and communities served as well as during
interactions between each member of the faculty and staff. College policies and practices
identify clear expectations of our employees and the College works tirelessly to ensure that
information provided to the public is accessible, clear, and informative. The Keene
Academic Center and the Lebanon Academic Center are regulated by all of the same
policies, procedures, and reporting requirements that are described in this standard.
Integrity
Integrity, Communication, Responsibility
RVCC and CCSNH expect that members of the college community, including the Board of
Trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and students will act responsibly, ethically, and
with integrity. Both RVCC and CCSNH Leadership have fostered an atmosphere where
issues can be discussed and members of the RVCC community understand their role in
encouraging integrity in the workplace. The RVCC Standards of Ethics and Core Values
guide how the college community interacts with one another, emphasizing collaboration
and appreciation. The respect that community members have for each other can be
observed in day to day interactions amongst faculty, staff, and administration.
The CCSNH System also has policies that are specific to the college community and reflect
integrity. These policies include Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, IT Acceptable Use
Policy, Information Security and Conflicts of Interest.
The governance structure at RVCC follows a model of shared governance and allows for
issues to be readily discussed and acted upon. There are multiple opportunities for all
members of the college community to participate in discussing issues that impact the
College. These meetings take place at all levels of the institution from Department
Meetings, to All College Meetings, up through Extended Leadership Team and both College
and CCSNH Advisory Boards. RVCC has an open line of communication with CCSNH
directly, and the Chancellor or an appropriate representative from his office participate in
college meetings as needed. Meetings at all levels occur on a set schedule (Table 9.1) and
any member of the community can request that an agenda item be added to any meeting.
Table 9.1: RVCC Standing Teams related to Communication
Team
Meeting schedule
All-College Meeting
Opportunity for the college to come together for the
purposes of discussion and planning, 3 times per
semester.
College Council
As needed meeting to create a safe and supportive
environment for innovation and new ideas by empowering
stakeholders through communication, recognition,
appreciation and engagement.
Staff Forum
Faculty Forum
As needed meeting
Once monthly meeting during fall and spring semesters
provides a forum for faculty to share pedagogy, discuss
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issues surrounding the academics of the College and make
recommendations to administration.
Extended Leadership Team
Program Advisory
Committees
RVCC Advisory Committees
Bi-monthly meeting. To ensure the integrity of all
operations of the College, the Leadership Team makes
recommendations to the President that support fiscal
accountability, including human resources. The Team
uses a collaborative approach to make decisions that are
unable to be made in Standing Teams and to confirm
policy changes that are made by Standing Teams. Final
accountability for decisions that cannot be made by the
team rests with the President.
Program dependent schedule, typically 1-2 times per year
to discuss issues impacting individual programs to provide
perspectives and feedback from industry leaders and
community members for each academic program
Meets at least twice per semester, the Advisory
Committee shall be established at each campus of the
colleges for the purpose of advising the President on the
operation and development of the institution.
CCSNH Activities related to Communication
CCSNH Symposium & Once per semester. CCSNH’s Symposium (fall) and
Winter Convening
Winter Convening (spring) is a day dedicated to our own
professional development; presentations about new
approaches and best practices, the sharing of ideas, and
connecting with friends and colleagues across the
system. It is open to all CCSNH employees
CCSNH Chancellor or
Designee
CCSNH Board of Trustees
Visits RVCC a minimum of once per year, more as
needed, to update college community on how systemwide
issues are reflected by and impacting RVCC
Meet bi-monthly at each campus in the System on a
rotating schedule The CCSNH Board of Trustees provides
stewardship and oversight for the Community College
System of NH. Its members are advocates and
ambassadors, representing a range of professional
backgrounds and experience. Except for the student
and ex-officio members, trustees are nominated by the
Governor and confirmed by the NH Executive Council.
Standing Teams at RVCC each have their own bylaws and constitutions. Meeting minutes
for all teams are kept in our “RVCC Communications” folder housed in Canvas. Some
teams still utilize paper copies of minutes, and these are stored in the library. The ability
to review the meeting minutes of Standing Teams at the College adds to our ability to be
accountable to issues of integrity and public disclosure.
Policies
All employees of the College are oriented to policies at both the college and system level
that govern issues of responsible and ethical actions. As part of new employee
onboarding, the Human Resource Officer provides and reviews the Sexual Harassment
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Policy, the Domestic Violence in the Workplace Policy, the Drug-Free Workplace Policy, IT
Acceptable Use Policy, FERPA policies and the RVCC Code of Ethics.
All RVCC locations (Claremont, Keene and Lebanon) post the required state and federal
laws for employees to review as needed. These policies include: Minimum Wage Law,
Equal Employment Opportunity protections, Employee Polygraph Protection Rights,
Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights, Family Medical Leave Act,
Right to Work in the US Act, Whistleblower Protection Act, Unemployment, Workers
Compensation and Equal Pay Law.
RVCC periodically reviews its policies through Standing Teams at the College. Each
Standing Team is responsible for reviewing its policies and procedures and in Fall of 2017,
the Standing Team document outlining each team’s mission, membership, and role was
reviewed during All-College Staff Meeting by the entire college. CCSNH BoT policies are
reviewed at their discretion. Safety policies are reviewed periodically in relation to yearly
reporting of Clery Act data.
Academic Honesty & Fair Treatment
The Student Handbook has a section dedicated to academic honesty and provides
definitions of plagiarism and cheating policies as well as containing copyright policy from
the copyright law of the United States (pg. 9). The Student Handbook also covers fairness
issues for students with appropriate policies and procedures including The Student Code of
Conduct (pgs. 43-53).
Adequate provision is made to ensure academic honesty at the Institution and is the
responsibility of all faculty. RVCC’s educational policies and procedures are periodically
reviewed and equitably applied to all students. They include Intellectual Property Rights,
the avoidance of conflict of interest, privacy rights and fairness in dealing with students.
Faculty and staff are covered in the collective bargaining agreements for faculty, adjunct
faculty and staff (Table 9.2)
Table 9.2: Collective Bargaining Agreement Articles related to Truthfulness, Clarity, &
Fairness
Staff
Intellectual Property Article 32 (pg. 54)
Grievance & Arbitration Article 7 (pg. 13)
Privacy Rights Article 34 (pg. 56)
Adjunct Faculty
Intellectual Property Article 12 (pg. 15)
Grievance & Arbitration Article 7 (pg. 9)
Privacy Rights Article 19 (pg. 21)
Location:
(http://www.seiu1984.org/files/2012/03/2017-
2019-Staff-with-Appendices_2.pdf)
Location:
(http://www.seiu1984.org/files/2017/10/2017-
2018-adjunct-faculty.pdf)
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Full-time Faculty
Location: (http://ibew2320.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/02/2017-2019-CCSNHand-NHHEU-CBA-for-FT-Faculty_Final.pdf)
Intellectual Property Article 32 (pg. 64)
Grievance & Arbitration Article 7 (pg. 14)
Privacy Rights Article 34 (pg. 66)
RVCC is committed to the free pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. The Faculty CBA,
Article VI- Academic Integrity and Professional Responsibility (pg. 12) and the Adjunct
Faculty CBA Article 13 (pg. 16), contain outlines of the expectations of both CCSNH and
the faculty which “endorse principles and standards of academic freedom...traditionally
accepted in institutions of higher education. Therefore, as an academic community
committed to teaching and service excellence, CCSNH fosters a professional atmosphere
that promotes the highest standards of professional conduct and integrity.”
Students, likewise are expected to take advantage of various points of view, both from
instructors and classmates and be guided by the RVCC Education Philosophy which defines
the educated person as someone who can: “read critically, write clearly and
comprehensively, reason analytically and utilize mathematical and scientific skills to solve
life’s problems.”
RVCC and the CCSNH System have established clear policies ensuring institutional integrity
related to grievance policies for faculty, staff, and students. The Student Handbook
outlines the process for a student to appeal a grade (pg. 20). For students who are placed
on Academic Probation, the Academic Standing Committee (ASC) has policies and
procedures that reviews each student’s case individually. Prior to the evaluation, students
are notified of their right to appeal their suspension. Faculty (full-time and adjunct) and
staff grievance policies are outlined in each group’s respective Collective Bargaining
Agreements (Staff CBA: Article 7, pgs. 13-16; Adjunct Faculty CBA: Article 7, pgs. 14-17;
Full-time Faculty CBA: Article 7, pgs. 9-12).
The Student Code of Conduct, contained within the Student Handbook (pages 43-54)
covers areas of the College that ensure students understand the operations of the College
including General Infractions, Academic Misconduct, Disruption of College Operations,
Health & Safety Violations, Violations of Criminal Laws and the College Code of Conduct,
Student Disciplinary Proceedings, the Judicial Process and Student Rights. The Handbook
also covers many important topics related to the Academic Appeal Process, Academic
Integrity, Academic Probation, Cheating & Plagiarism, Dismissal from the College, FERPA,
and the Grading System.
Legal Obligations
RVCC observes all legal requirements. It has a charter and formal authority from the
State of New Hampshire authorizing the College to grant all degrees it awards, and has the
authority to conduct these activities in the local jurisdictions it serves. State of New
Hampshire RSA 188-F:1 formally established the Community College System of New
140 | P a g e

Hampshire as a self-governing body under the authority of the CCSNH Board of Trustees
and identifies seven colleges throughout the state including one in Claremont which is
currently named River Valley Community College. RSA 188-F-1 also allows for regional
academic centers and covers RVCC’s Keene and Lebanon Academic Centers.
RVCC follows all non-discrimination policies with relation to hiring of all employees and
recruitment and admissions of all students. The RVCC Non-Discrimination Policy is housed
on the college website and is referenced with all hiring notices, as well as on the college
student application. The policy also identifies contact information for the College’s Equity
Committee Chairperson, CCSNH HR Director, US Department of Education, and NH
Commission for Human Rights and EOC.
Students who perform work study jobs where they are privy to private information must
sign and abide by FERPA documentation as part of their employment. These documents
are maintained with the student’s employment record.
RVCC holds its responsibility for sponsored activities of the College very seriously and
generally seeks approval of the Extended Leadership Team. The Team is comprised of the
President, VPAA, VPSA, Chief Business Affairs Officer and representatives from other areas
of the College. Depending on the activity, there might be added approvals needed from
the Student Government Association or Student Club Advisors. For off-campus activities,
the Institution ensures students abide by the Student Code of Conduct and are supervised
by a college representative. For all off-campus activities, students (or their guardians if
they are underage) must sign off on the “Waiver for On or Off-Campus Activities” form
which are then held by the IVPSA (for academic activities) or the SGA President (for
activities sponsored by the Student Government).
Students who are on RVCC sponsored internships, practicums, clinicals, or fieldwork
assignments are held to the same standards as on-campus students and are governed by
the policies in the Student Handbook as well as any specific policies outlined in the legal
agreement (Affiliation Agreements) between the College and the site of the
internship/practicum/clinical or fieldwork. These agreements are reviewed by CCSNH
System Counsel and are housed in the office of Academic Affairs.
Communication with NECHE
RVCC Administration updates NECHE as needed regarding changes at the institution.
RVCC demonstrates honesty and integrity and complies with the Commission’s standards,
policies, requirements of affiliations, and requests. RVCC notifies the commission
regarding adverse events. For example, RVCC was notified in August of 2018 that the OTA
program was put on probation by ACOTE. A plan of corrective action was provided to
NECHE which NECHE responded to positively. Due to the corrective actions taken, ACOTE
removed OTA’s probationary status and reinstated full accreditation in December of 2018.
In addition, as of the writing of this report, RVCC is developing a plan of corrective action
for the Radiologic Technology program, which was placed on probation by JRCERT.
141 | P a g e

Transparency
Informed Decision Making for Students
The RVCC website contains all information that a prospective and current student may
need to make informed decisions about their education. The River Valley homepage
contains links directly to the three most useful areas for students: Admissions, Academics,
and Student Resources. These links include access to the college application process,
tuition and fees, the Financial Aid office, links to each program page, and links to many
policies and procedures that directly relate to students. Student policies are found on the
“Student Resources” tab of the website which includes a link not only to specific policies,
forms and statistics, but also to the Student Handbook.
Communication with the Public
RVCC is clear in its communications with the public via the website, the College Catalog,
and the Student Handbook. Information related to application and admission processes is
found in both the Catalog (pg. 9-16) and on the website. Employment information for
certificate programs is found on the website via the Gainful Employment Index and for
many accredited programs directly on their program pages. National accrediting agencies
often require their respective programs to publish accreditation status, retention rates,
graduation rates, national board exam pass rates, and employment statistics. Each
accredited program at RVCC is in compliance with the national accreditation standards for
that program and publishes required information on their program webpage.
RVCC is responsive to reasonable requests for information and informs the public about
how inquiries may be made through the College’s “Contact Us” form on the website.
Generally, the information from the “Contact Us” page goes to the Admissions Office and
they disseminate the request appropriately.
Program content in the College Catalog is the responsibility of each program Director to
update on a yearly basis. This content is then reviewed by the VPAA before the printing of
the Catalog. Ten years of electronic versions of the College Catalog are archived on the
RVCC website. The VPAA, in conjunction with the Chair of the Curriculum Team, has made
the 2018-2019 College Catalog a top priority. The VPAA is additionally auditing the
Catalog, all programs, and the upcoming academic schedules to ensure consistency and
compliance for all courses with CCSNH and RVCC policy.
Public Disclosure
Media Format
RVCC publishes all materials relevant to public disclosure, both digital and print form,
through its College Catalog and Student Handbook and directly on pages on its college
website. The 2017-2018 Catalog (pgs. 9-16) clearly sets forth the obligations and
142 | P a g e

esponsibilities of both students and the institution. Specific links related to public
disclosure for the College can be found in Standard Nine’s Data First Forms.
Consumer Information
RVCC publishes a description of the Institution, a historical overview of the College,
demographic information on student population, tuition costs, Financial Aid information,
accreditation information, and the mission statement on both the website and in the
Catalog. RVCC clearly identifies that it is accredited through NECHE on its website and in
the College Catalog (pg. 4).
Additional information found in both locations includes information regarding academic and
student support services such as the Library; and advising, tutoring and disability services
(pgs. 14-16 of the College Catalog). RVCC publishes the expected outcomes of the College
on its website as well as in the College Catalog (pg. 3) and Student Handbook (pg. 6).
The College’s retention rate can be found on the website as well.
RVCC indicates which programs, courses, services, and personnel are not available during
a given academic year through the publication of the semester course schedule and
through the College Catalog. Program Directors are responsible for evaluating currency of
curriculum and updating it through Curriculum Committee and subsequently removing any
content that is not current from the Catalog.
River Valley publishes three directories of information, one directory each for faculty,
staff, and administration. The directories indicate departmental or program affiliations; and
degrees held and the institution granting them. Faculty are also listed, with their degrees
and granting institution, in the College Catalog. The names the College Advisory Board are
also found on the RVCC website. RVCC does not list adjunct faculty in the College Catalog
or in the directory.
RVCC’S Consumer Information page has all relevant costs for an education at RVCC as well
as related financial data. Relevant topics covered on this page include the Price of
Attendance, the Net Price Calculator, the Refund Policy and Requirements for Withdrawal,
Textbook information, and Disbursement. Some Academic Programs also have information
related to the overall cost of the degree or certificate listed on their program specific page.
For example, on the Physical Therapist Assistant program page, there is a link titled “cost
to attend”. The College Catalog also has a financial disclosure section which outlines tuition
costs and lab and student fees (pgs. 6-7). The default rate for Financial Aid is 13.9% and
can be found on the Veterans Shopping Sheet and is also on College Navigator.
Success Measures
Success measures for individual programs are found on the program websites. For
certificate programs, gainful employment data is listed for each program and for accredited
programs, additional outcomes measures are found on each program webpage as required
by individual accrediting bodies and include items such as national exam results, licensure
143 | P a g e

pass rates, and employment rates.
Appraisal of Integrity, Transparency & Public Disclosure
River Valley prides itself on being a transparent institution which follows best practices for
public disclosure. The College has long subscribed to the idea of “shared governance.”
Employees take a vested interest in the success of the College and work to create an
atmosphere where all voices are welcomed. The All-College Staff Meeting is a place where
anyone can add an agenda item, and open dialog on agenda items is encouraged.
All Standing Teams at River Valley are responsible for self-governance and adhering to
their Team’s by-laws. The team is also responsible for posting of meeting minutes to
inform the college community at large about the discussions and activities that the group
engages in. The posting of meeting minutes has been an area of inconsistency at the
College. Some groups are very good about taking minutes and posting minutes in Canvas.
Other groups take paper notes which are not posted, or do not take notes at all. This is an
area that needs to be clarified for the College and a standard operating procedure related
to meeting minutes would be helpful.
River Valley has a number of policies that guide the free pursuit of knowledge, privacy
rights for students and employees, and codes of conduct for students and employees. The
College follows standard practice and national and state law with regards to equity and
student privacy.
The College posts all relevant information on programmatic outcomes and student success
on its website and also releases pertinent information via press releases to local news
organizations. As of this writing, the College is actively exploring options for a website redesign
to make the site more attractive, easier to use and search, and mobile-friendly.
Strengths
CCSNH and RVCC Leadership has fostered an atmosphere where issues can be
discussed openly.
River Valley Community College follows a “shared governance” model where
multiple constituencies have input into college wide issues.
RVCC and the CCSNH System have established clear policies ensuring institutional
integrity related to grievance policies for faculty, staff, and students.
The RVCC website contains all information that a prospective and current student
may need to make informed decisions about their education.
RVCC is responsive to reasonable requests for information and informs the public
about how inquiries may be made through the College’s website.
Challenges
The RVCC website layout can make it difficult to find information.
There is no standard policy for taking meeting minutes and posting them for the
College community.
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Projections
By Fall of 2019, College administration will begin a redesign of the college website.
By Spring of 2020, the Enrollment Team will develop a Marketing Plan for the
College.
By Fall of 2020, College administration will develop a policy and process for meeting
minutes.
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Standard 9: Integrity, Transparency, and Public Disclosure
(Integrity)
? Policies
Last
Upda
ted ?
Website location where policy is posted
Responsible Office or
Committee
Academic
honesty
2017-
2018 http://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/student-handbook VPAASA
Intellectual
property rights 2015 http://www.ccsnh.edu/copyright-and-intellectual-property CCSNH; CBA
Conflict of
interest 2015 http://www.rivervalley.edu/employment-opportunities CCSNH; CBA
Privacy rights
Fairness for
students
no
date http://www.rivervalley.edu/sites/default/files/content/FERPA.pdf CCSNH
2017-
2018 http://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/student-handbook VPAASA
Fairness for
faculty 2015 http://www.ccsnh.edu/human-resources/ccsnh-employee-and-labor-relations CCSNH; HR
Fairness for
staff 2017 http://www.ccsnh.edu/human-resources/ccsnh-employee-and-labor-relations CCSNH; HR
Academic
freedom 2015 http://www.ccsnh.edu/academic-freedom CCSNH; CBA
Research
3.12.1
5
http://www.ccsnh.edu/sites/default/files/content/documents/Academic%20Sec
tion%20system%20policies%203-12-15%20WITH%20TABLE.pdf
CCSNH System 690.6
Academic Freedom
Title IX
no
date
http://www.rivervalley.edu/non-discrimination-policy
CCSNH;
CBA;HR;Title IX
Coordinator
Other; specify
no
date
http://www.rivervalley.edu/non-discrimination-policy
CCSNH;
CBA;HR;Title IX
Coordinator
Nondiscrimination
policies
Recruitment
and admissions
not
avail.
http://www.rivervalley.edu/non-discrimination-policy
CCSNH;
CBA;HR;Title IX
Coordinator
Employment
not
avail.
http://www.ccsnh.edu/mission-strategic-plan/non-discrimination-policy
CCSNH;
CBA;HR;Title IX
Coordinator
Evaluation
not
avail.
http://www.rivervalley.edu/non-discrimination-policy
CCSNH;
CBA;HR;Title IX
Coordinator
Disciplinary
action
not
avail.
http://www.rivervalley.edu/non-discrimination-policy
CCSNH;
CBA;HR;Title IX
Coordinator
146 | P a g e

Advancement
not
avail.
http://www.rivervalley.edu/non-discrimination-policy
CCSNH;
CBA;HR;Title IX
Coordinator
Other; specify
Resolution of
grievances
Students
2017-
2018 http://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/student-handbook VPAASA
Faculty 2015 http://www.ccsnh.edu/human-resources/ccsnh-employee-and-labor-relations CBA
Staff 2017 http://www.ccsnh.edu/human-resources/ccsnh-employee-and-labor-relations CBA
Other; specify
? Other
Last
Upda
ted
Website location or Publication
Responsible Office or
Committee
Please enter any explanatory
notes in the box below
Information
How can inquiries be made about the institution? Where can questions
be addressed?
Notice of availability of publications and of audited financial statement
or fair summary
Processes for admissions
Website location and/or Relevant
Publication(s)
http://www.rivervalley.edu/admissions
http://www.ccsnh.edu/AuditedFinancialStateme
nts
http://www.rivervalley.edu/admissions
147 | P a g e

Processes for employment
Processes for grading
Processes for assessment
Processes for student discipline
Processes for consideration of complaints and appeals
List below the statements or promises made regarding program
excellence, learning outcomes, success in placement, and
achievements of graduates or faculty and indicate where valid
documentation can be found.
Statement/Promise
Gainful employment
NEASC Accreditation
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education
Programs
Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education
The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA)
New Hampshire Board of Nursing
Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic
Technology
Website location and/or publication where
valid documentation can be found
http://www.rivervalley.edu/employmentopportunities
http://www.rivervalley.edu/studentresources/student-handbook
http://www.rivervalley.edu/admissions/testingassessment
http://www.rivervalley.edu/studentresources/student-handbook
http://www.rivervalley.edu/studentresources/student-handbook
http://www.rivervalley.edu/studentresources/gainful-employment-index
http://www.rivervalley.edu/aboutrvcc/accreditation
http://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/academi
c-programs/physical-therapist-assistant
http://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/academi
c-programs/medical-assistant/medical-assistantcertificate
http://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/academi
c-programs/respiratory-therapy
http://www.rivervalley.edu/aboutrvcc/accreditation
http://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/academicprograms/occupational-therapy-assistant
http://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/accreditation
http://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/accreditation
http://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/accreditation
http://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/academi
c-programs/radiologic-technology
Date of last review of:
Print publications
Digital publications
ongoing
ongoing
Please enter any explanatory notes in the box below
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Standard 9: Integrity, Transparency, and Public Disclosure
(Public Disclosure)
Information
Institutional catalog
Website location
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62316244/rvcccatalog
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Obligations and responsibilities of
students and the institution
Information on admission and
attendance
Institutional mission and objectives
Expected educational outcomes
Status as public or independent
institution; status as not-for-profit
or for-profit; religious affiliation
Requirements, procedures and
policies re: admissions
Requirements, procedures and
policies re: transfer credit
A list of institutions with which the
institution has an articulation
agreement
Student fees, charges and refund
policies
Rules and regulations for student
conduct
Procedures for student appeals and
complaints
Other information re: attending or
withdrawing from the institution
Academic programs
Courses currently offered
Other available educational
opportunities
Other academic policies and
procedures
Requirements for degrees and
other forms of academic
recognition
List of continuing faculty,
indicating department or program
affiliation, degrees held, and
institutions granting them
Names and positions of
administrative officers
Names, principal affiliations of
governing board members
Locations and programs available
at branch campuses, other
instructional locations, and
overseas operations at which
students can enroll for a degree,
along with a description of
programs and services available at
each location
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/
studenthandbook201718final
https://www.rivervalley.edu/admissions/welcome
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170
/studenthandbook201718final
http://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/mission
http://www.rivervalley.edu/aboutrvcc/mission/expected-outcomes
https://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/accreditation
http://www.rivervalley.edu/admissions/applicationprocess-forms
http://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/nhtransfer-program
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/stud
enthandbook201718final
https://www.rivervalley.edu/admissions/tuitionfees/tuition-and-fees
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/
studenthandbook201718final
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/
studenthandbook201718final
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/
studenthandbook201718final
http://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/programs-study
http://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/coursedescriptions
http://www.rivervalley.edu/workforce-development
https://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/academicdegree-requirements
http://www.rivervalley.edu/contactus/directories/faculty
http://www.rivervalley.edu/contactus/directories/administration
http://www.ccsnh.edu/about-ccsnh/board-trustees
http://www.rivervalley.edu/admissions/academiccenters
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Programs, courses, services, and
personnel not available in any given
academic year.
Size and characteristics of the
student body
Description of the campus setting
Availability of academic and other
support services
Range of co-curricular and nonacademic
opportunities available to
students
Institutional learning and physical
resources from which a student can
reasonably be expected to benefit
Institutional goals for students'
education
Success of students in achieving
institutional goals including rates of
retention and graduation and other
measure of student success
appropriate to institutional mission.
Passage rates for licensure exams,
as appropriate
Total cost of education and net
price, including availability of
financial aid and typical length of
study
Expected amount of student debt
upon graduation and loan payment
rates
Statement about accreditation
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62316244/
rvcccatalog
http://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/glance
http://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/glance
http://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources
http://www.rivervalley.edu/studentlife
https://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/studentsuccess-center
https://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/charlesp-puksta-library
http://www.rivervalley.edu/aboutrvcc/mission/expected-outcomes
http://www.rivervalley.edu/sites/default/files/content/
RVCC%20First%20Time%20Enrollment%20%26%20Persi
stance%20June%202013.pdf
http://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/consumerinformation
http://www.rivervalley.edu/student-resources/gainfulemployment-index
http://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/accreditation
Appendices
Affirmation of Compliance with Federal Regulations Relating to Title IV
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AFFIRMATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL REGULATIONS RELATING TO TITLE IV
Periodically, member institutions are asked to affirm their compliance with federal requirements relating to Title
IV program participation, including relevant requirements of the Higher Education Opportunity Act.
1. Credit Hour: Federal regulation defines a credit hour as an amount of work represented in intended learning
outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutional established equivalence that
reasonably approximates not less than: (1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of
two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester
hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a
different amount of time; or (2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this
definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships,
practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. (NECHE Policy 111. See
also Standards for Accreditation 4.34.)
URL
Print Publications
Self-study/ Fifth-year report Page
Reference
https://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/consumer-information
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62316244/rvcccatalog
(Page 10)
Page 78 of 2018 self-study
2. Credit Transfer Policies: The institution’s policy on transfer of credit is publicly disclosed through its
website and other relevant publications. The institution includes a statement of its criteria for transfer of credit
earned at another institution of higher education along with a list of institutions with which it has articulation
agreements. (NECHE Policy 95. See also Standards for Accreditation 4.38, 4.39 and 9.19.)
URL
Print
Publications
Self-study/
Fifth-year
report Page
Reference
https://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/consumer-information
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/studenthandbook201718final
(Page 17)
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62316244/rvcccatalog
(Page 12)
Page 81 of 2018 self-study
3. Student Complaints: “Policies on student rights and responsibilities, including grievance procedures, are
clearly stated, well publicized and readily available, and fairly and consistently administered.” (Standards for
Accreditation 5.18, 9.8, and 9.19.)
URL
https://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/accreditation/student-rights-and-grievancepolicies
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Print Publications
Self-study/ Fifth-year
report Page Reference
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/studenthandbook201718final
(Page 53)
Page 189 of 2018 self-study
4. Distance and Correspondence Education: Verification of Student Identity: If the institution offers distance
education or correspondence education, it has processes in place to establish that the student who registers in a
distance education or correspondence education course or program is the same student who participates in and
completes the program and receives the academic credit. . . .The institution protects student privacy and notifies
students at the time of registration or enrollment of any projected additional student charges associated with the
verification of student identity. (NECHE Policy 95. See also Standards for Accreditation 4.48.) Method(s) used
for verification
URL
Print Publications
Self-study/ Fifth-year
report Page Reference
https://www.rivervalley.edu/academics/online-learning
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62316244/rvcccatalog
(page 17)
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62368170/studenthandbook201718final
(page 11)
Page 82 of 2018 self-study
5. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATIONS ONLY: Public Notification of an Evaluation Visit and
Opportunity for Public Comment: The institution has made an appropriate and timely effort to notify the public of
an upcoming comprehensive evaluation and to solicit comments. (NECHE Policy 77.)
URL
Print Publications
Self-study/ Fifth-year report
Page Reference
https://www.rivervalley.edu/about-rvcc/accreditation
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/62316244/rvcccatalog
(page 4)
Page 29 of 2018 self-study
The undersigned affirms that River Valley Community College meets the above federal requirements relating to
Title IV program participation, including those enumerated above.
Chief Executive Officer:
Date: __2/8/2019
E-Series Forms
E-SERIES FORMS: MAKING ASSESSMENT MORE EXPLICIT
OPTION E1: PART A. INVENTORY OF EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS INDICATORS
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154 | P a g e

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
CATEGORY
Where are the
learning outcomes for
this level/program
published? (please
specify)
Include URLs where
appropriate.
Other than GPA, what
data/ evidence is used to
determine that graduates
have achieved the stated
outcomes for the degree?
(e.g., capstone course,
portfolio review, licensure
examination)
Who interprets the
evidence? What is
the process?
(e.g. annually by
the curriculum
committee)
What changes have
been made as a result
of using the
data/evidence?
Date of
most
recent
program
review (for
general
education
and each
degree
program)
At the
institutional
level:
Expected Outcomes of
the College are found
on pg 3 of the College
Catalog:
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/sites/default/fi
les/content/101053RV
CCCatalogWeb320161
220GSCUpdates.pdf
All Associate degree
students complete courses
designed to provide
opportunities to develop
one or more of the
outcomes listed in
Expected Outcomes.
Evidence of the
development of these skills
comes through course
assessments, activities,
assignments, practica,
internships, and clinical
experiences.
Faculty interpret
evidence of learning
exhibited in the
coursework.
The College
Administration
reviews feedback
from outside
constituencies.
Implementation of the
Co-Requisite Math
Pathways to improve
college level success.
Increased continuing
education offerings for
non-matriculated
community members.
NEASC/CI
HE 5-Year
Review
Spring,
2013
Feedback from outside
constituencies including the
communities served via the
College Advisory Board.
For general
education if
an
undergraduat
e institution:
Associate degree
programs require
either specific general
education courses or
specific distributions
of these courses.
Requirements are
published on page 19
of the College
Catalog:
Evidence comes through
evaluation of Program
Maps to ensure compliance
of all programs with
general education
requirements.
Curriculum Team
and VPAA approve
all curricular
changes.
Per the Complete
College America 15-to-
Finish initiative, the
number of General
Education credits
required for the various
degrees was reduced to
fit within a 60+ credit
requirement for the
degree. This was
accomplished via the
BoT policy of
elimination of a second
level English course.
Yearly
review of
College
Catalog
and
Program
Maps
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/sites/default/fi
les/content/101053RV
155 | P a g e

CCCatalogWeb320161
220GSCUpdates.pdf
1.Accounting,
AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/accounting/
accounting
Successful completion of
courses requires a
demonstration of practical
knowledge of computer
and accounting skills
through comprehensive
case problems and final
exams. “Soft skills” critical
to employability are
assessed through projects
in Professional
Communications course.
Program Director
and Department
Chair interpret
program outcomes.
Individual student
outcomes are
interpreted by
faculty and also by
the Program
Director through
advising meetings
each semester.
Courses and programs
have been revised to
reflect changes in the
law and industry and to
align with transfer
requirements of fouryear
institutions.
2018
Transfer data is
gathered from
graduates in their
final semester.
2.
Accounting,
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/accounting/
accountingadvancedaccounting
Successful completion of
courses requires a
demonstration of practical
knowledge of computer
and accounting skills
through comprehensive
case problems and final
exams
Program Director
and Department
Chair interpret
program outcomes.
Individual student
outcomes are
interpreted by
faculty and also by
the Program
Director through
advising meetings
each semester.
Courses and programs
have been revised to
reflect changes in the
law and industry
2018
3. Advanced
Accounting,
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/accounting/
accountingadvancedaccounting
Successful completion of
courses requires a
demonstration of practical
knowledge of computer
and accounting skills
through comprehensive
case problems and final
exams
Program Director
and Department
Chair interpret
program outcomes.
Individual student
outcomes are
interpreted by
faculty and also by
the Program
Director through
advising meetings
each semester.
Courses and programs
have been revised to
reflect changes in the
law and industry
2018
4.Business
Management,
Business
Management
Concentratio
n, AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/businessmanagement
Final examinations
Final Projects
Business Plan Development
Faculty
Program Director
Department Chair
Courses revised to
incorporate external
business community
experience.
Business Math was
eliminated and replaced
2009
156 | P a g e

with college level math
course.
5.Business
Management,
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/businessmanagement
Final examinations
Final Projects
Business Plan Development
Faculty
Program Director
Department Chair
Courses revised to
incorporate external
business community
experience.
Business Math was
eliminated and replaced
with college level math
course.
2009
6.
Cybersecurit
y and
Healthcare
IT, AS
https://www.river
valley.edu/sites/defau
lt/files
/content/RVCCCollege
Catalog1819Updated2
0181029.
pdf pg. 26
Capstone Course or
Internship: CSCI
296R/CSCI 297R
Skills Exams
Employer Feedback on
Student Interns
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
Revisions to course
outlines
Revisions to Program
Maps
2018
Program alumni surveys
7.
Cybersecurit
y and
Healthcare
IT, Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/computertechnology/cybersecu
rity-healthcareit/cybersecurity-0
Skills Exams
Employer Feedback on
Student Interns
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
Program alumni surveys
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
Revisions to course
outlines
Revisions to Program
Maps
2018
8. Criminal
Justice, AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/criminaljustice
Portfolio Project and
Internship: CRMJ 290R
Program Director
Updated and changed
program delivery,
streamlined Program
Map
2016
9. Early
Childhood
Education,
AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/earlychildhood-education
These are also in the
ECE Program’s
student handbook.
Portfolios
Practicum site evaluations
Student focus groups
Surveys (graduate
satisfaction, program
alumni, employer)
Advisory Board Feedback
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
Revisions to course
outlines, updated
program of study, the
development of new
courses, revised
evaluation tools for
practicum courses, new
course delivery
methods, and adapted
advising practices.
2012
10. Early
Childhood
Education
Level 1,
Certificate
Modified ECE Degree
outcomes have been
utilized. Revisions
are planned.
Course: ECE 104R
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
Revisions to course
outlines, new course
delivery methods, and
adapted advising
practices
2012
157 | P a g e

11. Early
Childhood
Education
Level 2,
Certificate
Modified ECE Degree
outcomes have been
utilized. Revisions
are planned.
Course: ECE 190R
Practicum: 191R
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
Revisions to course
outlines, revised
evaluation tools for
practicum courses, new
course delivery
methods, and adapted
advising practices
2012
12. Early
Childhood
Education,
Infant &
Toddler
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/infant-toddlercertificate
Prepares students to apply
for an infant toddler
endorsement on an ECE
credential awarded by the
NH Child Development
Bureau
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
New Program
New
Program
13.
Information
Technology,
AS
https://www.river
valley.edu/sites/defau
lt/files
/content/RVCCCollege
Catalog1819Updated2
0181029.
pdf pg. 28
Capstone Course or
Internship: CSCI
296R/CSCI 297R
Skills Exams
Employer Feedback on
Student Interns
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
New Program
New
Program
Program alumni surveys
14. Liberal
Arts, AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/liberal-arts
Transfer rates to
baccalaureate programs
Department Chair
Developed Program
Maps to Outline Specific
Pathways
Reduced credits to 60
2014
15. Massage
Therapy,
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/massagetherapy
Practicum and Clinicals:
MASS 193R, MASS 140R,
MASS 195R
Employer Feedback
Faculty
Program Director
Advisory Board
Changes to curriculum
to include MASS 102R,
MASS 103R,and MASS
104R
2012
16.
Mathematics
and Science,
Biological
Science
Concentratio
n
The program
outcomes are listed
on the RVCC website
on the program’s
information page:
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/mathematic
s-andscience/biologicalscience-concentration
The program director
reviews transcripts of
students in the major each
semester and reviews
transfers annually. The
program director/advisor
also speaks to students’
teachers frequently
Program Director
Reduction of required
credits from 64 to 60
Removal of the
Capstone courses due
to lack of transferability
to the University
System
April 2019
17. Medical
Administrativ
e Assistant,
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/rvcccommunity/campusnews/medicalassisting-programrvcc-awarded-
ALHT 121R/ALHT 124R
Employer satisfaction
Employment rates
Faculty
Program Direcor
Advisory Board
Delivery methods of
course delivery have
been updated to
include, traditional
classroom, hybrid and
distance learning and
some courses are now
RVCC
Program
Review
Scheduled
for
AY2019-
2020
158 | P a g e

continuingaccreditation
offered at the Academic
Centers.
18. Medical
Assistant,
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/sites/default/fi
les/content/Mission%
20Statement%20%26
%20Program%20Outc
ome.pdf
Employer satisfaction
Graduate rates
Exam Rates
Employment rates
Faculty
Program Director
Advisory Board
Yearly ARF for
MAERB
Accreditation
Delivery methods of
course delivery have
been updated to
include, traditional
classroom, hybrid and
distance learning and
some courses are now
offered at the Academic
Centers.
2015
Practicum hours
reduced from 240 to
160.
19.Medical
Laboratory
Technician,
AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/sites/default/fi
les/content/2017MLTS
tudentHandbook_INus
e.pdf pg 5
Practicum: MLTC 290
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
Practicum Supervisor
Interviews
ASCP BOC Exam pass rates
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Department Chair
Advisory Board
Revisions to curriculum
including change in
format of Practicum and
hybridization of
courses.
2018
20.
Networking,
AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/computertechnology/networkin
g
Capstone Course or
Internships: CSCI
296R/CSCI 297R
Skills Exams
Employer Feedback on
Student Interns
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
Revisions to course
outlines
Revisions to Program
Maps
2018
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
Program alumni surveys
21.
Networking,
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/computer-technology/networkin
g-0
Skills Exams
Employer Feedback on
Student Interns
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
Program alumni surveys
Faculty
Program
Coordinator
Advisory Board
Revisions to course
outlines
Revisions to Program
Maps
2018
22. Nursing,
AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/nursing/ass
ociate-sciencenursing-degree
Clinicals: ADNR116R,
ADNR117R, ADNR220R,
ADNR230R
ATI Content Mastery
Assessments
RN Comprehensive
Predictor
Clinical Evaluation Tool
(CET)
Department Chair
Faculty
Advisory Committee
NH Board of Nursing
National Council of
State Boards of
Nursing (NCSBN)
Accreditation
Commission for
Increased # of ATI
assessments
Increased use of PrepU
& ATI assignments
Revised CET per ACEN
Revised course
competencies per
NCSBN guidelines
2016
159 | P a g e

NHBON Annual Program
Report
ACEN Annual Program
Report
Education in Nursing
(ACEN)
Systematic Plan of
Evaluation
NCLEX-RN Licensure
Graduate Surveys
Employer Surveys
23.
Occupational
Therapy
Assistant, AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.
edu/sites/default/files
/content/OTA%20
Curriculum%20Design
%20
and%20Student%20O
utcomes.pdf
Fieldworks: OCTA
190R,OCTA 290R,OCTA
291R
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
Fieldwork Supervisor
Interviews
Employer Satisfaction
Surveys
NBCOT pass rates
Faculty
Program Director
Advisory Board
Tiered learning
approach to SOAP note
writing in OCTA 125R,
OCTA 190R, and OCTA
213R.
Changed format of
Level I Fieldwork
Experience (OCTA 190)
to a camp-experience.
Planned implementation
of hybrid course AHLT
104R in Fall 2019.
2018
24.
Phlebotomy,
Certificate
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/phlebotomy
Internship: PHBC190R
Program Faculty
Department Chair
Increased PHBC 110R
course to include
increased lab practice
time to improve
psychomotor skills
proficiency.
RVCC
Program
Review
Scheduled
for
AY2019-
2020
25. Physical
Therapist
Assistant, AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/sites/default/fi
les/content/2018%20
PTA%20Program%20
Public%20Disclosure
%20Information_3.pd
f
Practicums: PTAC 190R,
PTAC292R
Practicum Supervisor
Interviews
FSBPT Exam Pass Rates
Employment Rates
Advisory Board,
Faculty,
Practicum
Supervisor,
Department Chair,
Program
Coordinator
Changed format of
Practicum Courses and
Senior Seminar Course
Modified program
application process for
Fall 2019
2016
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
26.
Radiologic
Technology,
AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/academics/aca
demicprograms/radiologictechnology
Practicums: RADT 121R,
RADT 122R, RADT 223R,
RADT 224R
ARRT Passing Rates
Faculty
Program Director
Advisory Board
Curriculum Revised in
2017
Changed textbooks and
academic materials
2017
Job Placement Rates
Graduate Satisfaction
Surveys
Acquired de-energized
X-ray machine for
student practice
Employer Satisfaction
Surveys
160 | P a g e

27.
Respiratory
Therapy, AS
https://www.rivervall
ey.edu/sites/default/fi
les/content/RVCCColle
geCatalog1819Update
d20181029.pdf Pg.
49
Practicums: RSPT 191,
RSPT 281R, RSPT 282R
Graduation Rates
NBRC Exam Pass Rates
Faculty
Program Director
Advisory Board
Course content
updated, Redistributed
lecture vs.lab hours;
updated number of
clinical hours.
2016
Job Placement Rates
Employer Satisfaction
Surveys
29. Social
Services, AS
Course materials for
HSV 110R, 270R, and
271R
Fieldwork: HSV270R
Seminar: HSV 271R
Faculty, Program
Coordinator, and
Advisory Board
Major program revision 2014
In process of being
revised
29. Social
Services,
Certificate
Course materials for
HSV 110R, 270R, and
271R
HSV 125R and HSV 126R
Faculty, Program
Coordinator, and
Advisory Board
Major program revision 2014
In process of being
revised
Institutions selecting E1a should also include E1b.
Note: Please see the Statement on Student Achievement and Success Data Forms (available on the CIHE website:
https://cihe.neasc.org) for more information about completing these forms.
161 | P a g e

E-SERIES FORMS: MAKING ASSESSMENT MORE EXPLICIT
OPTION E1: PART B. INVENTORY OF SPECIALIZED AND PROGRAM ACCREDITATION
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(6)
Professional,
specialized, State,
or programmatic
accreditations
currently held by
the institution (by
agency or
program name).
Date of most
recent
accreditation
action by
each listed
agency.
List key issues for continuing
accreditation identified in
accreditation action letter or
report.
Key performance
indicators as required by
agency or selected by
program (licensure, board,
or bar pass rates;
employment rates, etc.).
*
Date and
nature of
next
scheduled
review.
Medical Assisting,
CAAHEP
March, 2015
The review conducted by the
Medical Assisting Education
Review Board (MAERB) and
CAAHEP’s Board of Directors
recognized the program’s
substantial compliance with the
nationally established
accreditation standards. This
program was awarded an eight
year accreditation, the
maximum allowed by
MAERB/CAAHEP. Minor citations
were addressed and approved
in February 2019.
Retention
Placement
Grad Satisfaction Rate
Employer Satisfaction
Rate
Exam Participation Rate
Exam Pass Rate
2023
Physical Therapy
Assistant, CAPTE
May, 2016
The program was required to
clarify the workloads for the
program faculty and send them
a completed annual assessment
(a template had been sent the
first time). These updates were
accepted and a 10 year
continuing accreditation was
granted.
Graduation
Employment rates
Licensure pass rates
Number and variety of
clinical education sites
2025
Respiratory
Therapy, COARC
2016 No deficiencies were reported.
The program was given a full 10
year accreditation.
On-time graduation
NBRC pass rates (High cut
score)
2026
Employer satisfaction
rates
Job placement rates
Graduate satisfaction
rates
2016 In Compliance
NCLEX-RN pass rates
2021
Nursing, ACEN &
NH BON
Areas needing development:
4.2 SLOs need to demonstrate
consistent progression.
Program completion rates
Program satisfaction rates
Graduate employment
rates
162 | P a g e

4.12 Learning activities &
instructional materials need to
be appropriate for all delivery
formats & consistent with SLOs
3 years of data correlating
learning activities
with EPOs
6.1 ELOS must be stated in
specific and measurable terms
6.2 Data must be collected and
trended by program option and
location prior to aggregation for
program as whole
6.4.3 Sufficient data must be
collected and trended for
program decision making.
Medical Lab
Technician,
NAACLS
2018 Continuing accreditation
awarded for ten years. A ‘Year
5 Interim Report’ must be
submitted to NAACLS with a
summary of the last five years
of annual reporting, a narrative
on how outcomes measures are
analyzed and used in program
assessment, and a narrative
describing any actions taken as
a result of the program
assessment.
ASCP BOC pass rates
Program completion rates
Employment rates
2028
Radiological
Technology,
JRCERT
(continued on
following pages)
2017 Program was placed on
Probation until May of 2019
New curriculum was develop
and implemented in fall 2017
Admission rate
Retention rate
Program completion rate
ARRT Passing rate (first
attempt)
2017
New self-study was submitted
to the JRCERT.
Employment rate
Site visit on June 2018
Program was not in compliance
with
Objective 2.2 - Lack of
assurance that the program
provides an adequate number
of faculty to meet all
educational, program,
administrative, and
accreditation requirements.
Action taken: new clinical
coordinator was hired on
January2019.
Objective 2.3 - Lack of
assurance that the program
provides faculty with
163 | P a g e

opportunities for continued
professional development.
Action taken: Program Director
attended two conferences
(February and November 2018)
Objective 3.9 - Lack of
assurance that the program
evaluates program faculty and
clinical instructor performance
and shares evaluation results
regularly to assure instructional
responsibilities are performed.
Action taken: First report
submitted to all clinical sites
during Summer of 2018. A
revised clinical instructor
evaluation put in place January
2019.
Objective 5.2 - Lack of
assurance that the program
documents the following
program effectiveness data:
Graduate and Employer
satisfaction
Note: The program has only two
graduating classes. The
program collects these data on
the following schedule:
Graduate Survey – 6 months
after graduation; Employee
Survey – 1 year after
graduation. At this time, the
program doesn’t have five years
of data as required. The
Program has a revised
assessment plan. Will continue
to improve.
Objective 5.4 - Lack of
assurance that the program
analyzes and shares student
learning outcome data and
program effectiveness data to
foster continuous program
improvement.
Action taken: Effectiveness data
report is on the College
webpage, data results are
discussed with advisory board
and clinical preceptors for
feedback.
Mid-term report will be
submitted on April 19, 2019
JRCERT final decision will be
receive by May, 2019.
Occupational
Therapy
Assistant, ACOTE
2018 The program is fully accredited.
Two areas were identified by
ACOTE that needed further
attention and update via a
Retention Rates
Job Placement Rates
Grad Satis