Standard Ten: Public Disclosure
Description
NMTC provides prospective students, business and industry leaders and other members of the public information about the institution which is clear, complete, and accurate.
The college typically publishes its catalog biennially. In the 2002-2004 catalog the college describes itself by stating first its mission and then the guiding principles by which the college is directed in fulfilling its obligations. The catalog is the college’s official document which deals with the specific requirements of both admission and attendance. Recruitment materials and program specific materials identify admission requirements for the college and any requirements specific to a program. The admission requirements matrix in the catalog is particularly helpful to students. That same material is found in the “curriculum sheets” which are also made available to prospective students. Attendance information is also found in the student handbook.
By policy, all college materials prepared for distribution are under the review of the director of development and college relations, who coordinates all publications, from copy preparation to final printing. She and her staff review all college publications for accuracy and completeness annually. The director of development and college relations is also responsible for the design and content of college videos, such as the recruitment video, all media information (television, radio and print), program- and event-specific brochures, pamphlets and flyers, and the college’s website and intranet site. It is the intent of the college to ensure accuracy and consistency with the official college catalog.
The publications staff assures that the messages put forth in official college publications are accurate and fairly portray the conditions and opportunities available to students. College materials are reviewed by the appropriate senior manager prior to publication and are closely monitored by the director of development and college relations, with any questions being addressed with the president. Area media recognizes the director of development and college relations as the communication channel for the college. She ensures that any requests for information other than those appropriate from her office are forwarded to the appropriate individual and keeps the president apprised. College employees involved in recruiting students are kept informed by the dean of students regarding any changes which may impact information to prospective students. Changes in catalog information are addressed with an errata sheet, which is inserted into the catalog before distribution. The errata is modified as necessary. The college believes that information provided publicly about the institution is clear and accurate and provides prospective and matriculated students the opportunity to make informed decisions about their education.
As a member of the senior management, the director of development and college relations works closely with appropriate senior managers and other professional staff to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information which is prepared for publication.
The 2002-2004 catalog includes the following: the institution’s mission and guiding principles in definable terms; specific program objectives and expected educational/career outcomes; entrance requirements and policies and procedures for admission and for transfer of credit to other institutions; academic programs; academic policies; student tuition, fees and refund policies; rules and regulations for student conduct and other items related to attending or withdrawing from the college; courses currently offered; other educational opportunities; and the requirements for certificates, diplomas or degrees with the means by which to assess the fulfillment of these requirements.
The student handbook also includes much of the above information: the institution’s mission and guiding principles; policies and procedures for transfer of credit to other institutions; academic policies; student tuition and fees refund policies; rules and regulations for student conduct; and other items related to attending or withdrawing from the college.
Administrators, professional staff and faculty, both full- and part-time, are listed in the catalog, along with their degree(s) earned and the awarding institution(s). Faculty listings include the program affiliation of the individual instructor. Administrators and professional staff are identified by title, and adjunct faculty are so indicated. Additionally, the members of the MTCS board of trustees, the institution’s governing board, are listed with their respective residences and business/industry affiliations. Most employees are listed in a campus directory in the college’s student handbook.
All programs, courses and services listed in the catalog are currently offered or it is indicated that they are “not available” or “in process of being discontinued.” The college does not list as current any courses not taught for two consecutive years which will not be taught during the third consecutive year. Due to the negligible number of personnel on sabbatical or extended leave, the college does not identify individuals who are absent less than a year.
Annually, with information received from the dean of students, the registrar, and the financial aid office, the publications office prepares a fact sheet which includes information about the size and characteristics of the student body. This information is widely distributed as part of the fulfillment package when asked for general college information. It is also included by the president and other senior staff in speaking to the public in various forums. Additionally, more comprehensive information regarding the student body, campus setting, academic opportunities, institutional learning and physical resources, and the range of co-curricular and non-academic opportunities available to students is published every other year in a video format for prospective students. The college viewbook also contains this material but to a lesser degree.
The catalog, student handbook, and college viewbook include a description of institutional resources available for students, such as counseling, advising, tutorial assistance and available financial aid. Nonacademic opportunities available to students such as intercollegiate and intramural athletic programs, clubs and organizations are described in the catalog, the student handbook, the college viewbook and in an activities booklet provided for students at orientation.
The college is circumspect regarding making statements about itself or its students, graduates and employees without specific, documented evidence. A review of the materials published about the institution and the success of its graduates will indicate this.
Graduates are surveyed six months following graduation regarding employment in their field of study and/or continued education. This placement information is compiled by the dean of student’s office and made public with appropriate documentation. All academic programs are reviewed once every five years. As part of the review process, graduates and their employers are surveyed regarding satisfaction and success with program/course content, learning outcomes and skills, and career growth and are the basis for statements regarding employer satisfaction with graduates and graduate satisfaction with the college, their faculty and their program. These surveys are on file in the respective department offices. Any individual accomplishments that are publicized by the college are done so based on corroborating information received to verify the achievement.
Any requests for information about the college are addressed in a timely manner. The admissions office staff responds to requests for information about the college from prospective students. The staff in the development and college relations office generally handles other requests for information. Requests are either addressed by sending previously published material or by compiling the information requested.
The college is not audited independently but rather as a component of the Maine Technical College System. The system provides notice as to the availability upon request of the system’s most recent audited statement or a fair summary thereof.
The college’s statement about its current accredited status is accurately and explicitly worded in the 2002-2004 catalog.
As previously stated, the director of development and college relations is responsible for college publications. Some publications are produced annually – the student handbook, program/curriculum information, college fact sheet, college fair search piece – and others are on a biennial schedule – college catalog, recruitment video, college viewbook. A semester course guide/schedule in published three times each year. Prior to scheduled publication, senior administrators and all affected managers and professional staff are requested to review and require or suggest changes. As the director of development and college relations is a member of the president’s senior staff, she is familiar with changes in institutional policies and procedures which must be included in college publications. Following a review of the proposed changes to publications, she meets with the president and any others to resolve questions which may arise. This process of review ensures that college publications are accurate, consistent and current when published. Every effort is made to identify changes which subsequently occur by including errata with all catalogs distributed.
The institution believes strongly that information about the college must be disclosed in a manner which is accurate, clear, concise and timely. Every effort is made to meet that goal.
Appraisal
Although NMTC is a small institution with limited staff resources, it has accomplished a major goal regarding its publications and public disclosure by implementing a policy of having all external communication coordinated through the development and college relations office. The systematic process which has been implemented for collecting information, editing/re-writing, writing, and taking the task through to final publication, assures consistency in message, style and accuracy. The administrator in charge has access to the president and other senior administrators as needed to answer any questions and, more importantly, to make them aware of any discrepancies which may arise. Occasionally, an event brochure may make its way to the public without previous review from the publications office, but that is rare. Employees realize the process and generally follow it.
However, since staff is limited, the process sometimes causes publication dates to be pushed back. The development and college relations office is staffed by the full-time director and a full-time college relations assistant, both of whom have other responsibilities. Careful and detailed editing are critical to having the most accurate publications possible, but it is a time-consuming task. Annual publications are a particular challenge, time-wise, but they also provide the college with the opportunity to provide the most current information to students and to the public.
The college has printed materials which are professional in appearance. The college catalog is often requested by PR colleagues as a sample because of its content and clarity. However, there needs to be a greater awareness and acceptance that the catalog is the official publication which addresses all policies regarding student advancement in various programs of study.
The semester course guide/schedule is published three times each year, in July, November and March. Although limited in size and therefore limited in space for general college information, this publication has become the vehicle for providing students with the most current information about courses to be offered in a particular semester and any faculty changes for those courses. The college’s course guide has been used by nationally recognized community college marketing consultant Sandra Golden as the best “before and after” course guide she has observed.
The course guide too has its challenges. It is prepared camera ready in-house to save on printing costs, but it is fairly time consuming and has an absolute deadline for printing as it is used for semester registrations.
In addition to recruitment materials such as the viewbook and college fair search piece, printed brochures have been developed which have more information about the departments on campus. Detailed information about specific programs on campus is provided to students via photocopied material which is professionally designed and maintained by the college relations office. Curriculum changes and the need for exact information make printing this material inappropriate, as the college could not afford to do so on an on-going basis. Information is also available to students on the college web site.
For a small college with limited resources for publications, NMTC has accomplished a great deal with its publications in the past five years. Their look and content are at least on a par with materials at other two-year institutions around the state and region. However, due to the cost of continually reprinting materials, the biennial catalog is and will continue to be the most complete compilation of college policies and procedures, academic information and other pertinent data for students.
Projection
The college must continue to budget funds for providing publications about the college. Although it is anticipated that more prospective students will utilize the college web site to find out specific information about the college, the high number of non-traditional students attending NMTC preclude the notion that all prospective students have access to a computer or are computer literate.
The compilation of information for students and the public, the systematic review to ensure accuracy, and the editing and re-writing will continue to be a major task. Coordinating all public disclosure – oral communication, media, video, web and printed publications – through the development and college relations office is a college strength. As personnel change in that office, it will be essential to bring on new personnel with strong writing, communicating and editing skills. It will be to the detriment of the college to return to the department method of public disclosure.
