Trinity Valley Community College
Compliance Certification Document

submitted to the Commission on Colleges
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
March 15, 2006

In order to be accredited by the Commission on Colleges, an institution is required to conduct a comprehensive compliance audit prior to the filing of the compliance certification.  The comprehensive compliance audit includes an assessment of all programs and courses offered by the institution on-campus and off-campus, and those offered through distance learning. The compliance certification, signed by the institution's chief executive officer and accreditation liaison, attests to the institution's honest assessment of compliance with the accreditation requirements of the Commission on Colleges (including Core Requirements, Comprehensive Standards, and Federal Requirements) as applied to all aspects of the institution.  

Completion of the Compliance Certification

The Compliance Certification consists of four parts:   

Part 1- Signature Page for the institution's chief executive officer and the accreditation liaison 

Part 2 - List of all substantive changes that have been reported and approved by the Commission since the institution's last reaffirmation as well as the date of approval

Part 3 - The institution's assessment of compliance 

Part 4 - An attached and updated “Institutional Summary Form Prepared for Commission Reviews” that (a) lists all locations where coursework toward a degree, certificate, or diploma can be obtained primarily through traditional classroom instruction, and (b) describes distance education credit offerings that can be obtained primarily through electronic means 

For each part, please follow the directions provided.  For part 2 above, if there have been no institutional changes that required reporting or approval since the institution's last comprehensive review, please indicate that as well.

Part 1.  SIGNATURES ATTESTING TO COMPLIANCE

By signing below, we attest to the following:

1. Trinity Valley Community College has conducted an honest assessment of compliance and has provided complete and accurate disclosure of timely information regarding compliance with the Core Requirements, Comprehensive Standards, and Federal Requirements of the Commission on Colleges.   

2. Trinity Valley Community College has attached a complete and accurate listing of all programs offered by the College, the locations where they are offered, and the means by which they are offered as indicated on the updated “Institutional Summary Form Prepared for Commission Reviews,” and that the comprehensive assessment of compliance reported on the Compliance Certification includes the review of all such programs. 

3. Trinity Valley Community College has provided a complete and accurate listing of all substantive changes that have been reported and approved by the Commission since the College's last reaffirmation as well as the date of Commission approval.

  
Accreditation Liaison: Jan Huffstutler 

Date Signed: March 10, 2006  

Chief Executive Officer: Ron Baugh 

Date Signed: March 10, 2006

Part 2.  LIST OF SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES APPROVED SINCE THE LAST REAFFIRMATION

Directions:  For each substantive change approved since the institution's initial accreditation or last reaffirmation review, briefly describe the change and provide the date of Commission approval.  If no substantive changes requiring approval have been submitted since the last comprehensive review, write “none” in the first column. If, in the review of substantive change, the institution discovers substantive changes that have not been reported according to Commission policy, the changes should be reported immediately to Commission staff.

Substantive changes requiring approval are as follows:

See the http://www.sacscoc.org.commpub1.asp for additional information on reporting substantive change, including examples of the changes listed above.

Directions:   For each of the Core Requirements and Comprehensive Standards listed below, the institution should place an “X” before the judgment of compliance and then add narrative for the judgment of compliance in accordance with directions requested in the category description.

• Compliance --
  The institution meets the requirement and provides a convincing argument in support of its determination and a list of documents (or electronic access to the documents) demonstrating compliance.

• Partial Compliance --
  The institution meets some, but not all, aspects of the requirement.  For those aspects meeting the requirement, the institution provides a convincing argument in support of its determination and a list of documents (or electronic access to the documents) demonstrating compliance. For those aspects not meeting the requirement, the institution provides the reason for checking partial compliance, a description of plans to comply, and a list of documents that will be used to demonstrate future compliance.

• Non-Compliance --
  The institution does not meet  the requirement and provides the reason for checking non-compliance, a description of plans to comply, and a list of documents that will be used to demonstrate future compliance.

Part 4: INSTITUTIONAL SUMMARY PROVIDED FOR COMMISSION REVIEW

Name of Institution

Trinity Valley Community College

Accreditation Liaison

Jan Huffstutler
Vice President of Instruction
903-675-6210
huffstutler@tvcc.edu  

Technical Support person for the Compliance Certification

Jeremy McMillen
Dean of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
Office (903) 675-6313
Cell (903) 243-0575
jmcmillen@tvcc.edu  

Educational Programs  

Level of offerings (Check all that apply)

• Diploma or certificate program(s) requiring less than one year beyond grade 12

• Associate degree program(s) requiring a minimum of 60 semester hours or the equivalent designed for transfer to a baccalaureate institution

• Associate degree program(s) requiring a minimum of 60 semester hours or the equivalent not designed for transfer.

Types of Undergraduate Programs

• Occupational certificate or diploma program(s)

• Occupational degree program(s)

• Two-year programs designed for transfer to a baccalaureate institution

• Liberal Arts and General

History and Characteristics

Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) has a proud heritage of service to the people within the East Texas region and is currently engaged in continuing growth and development. In late 1945 a group of civic leaders is Athens, Texas founded TVCC as Henderson County Junior College. The first courses were offered at Athens High School in the summer of 1946, with the current Athens campus beginning operations in the fall semester, 1946. The College began developing into a multi-campus institution in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This was begun by initiating programs with the Texas Department of Corrections (Coffield, Beto I, Beto II, and Michaels Units). Expansion continued with the opening of the TVCC-Palestine campus in 1972, the TVCC-Terrell Campus in 1973, and the TVCC-Health Science Center in Kaufman in 1983. As a result of the continued regional expansion, the Board of Trustees approved a name change from Henderson County Junior College to Trinity Valley Community College in September, 1986. Today, the service area consists of 28 independent school districts covering all parts of Henderson, Anderson, Kaufman and Rains counties, and part of Van Zandt County. Sixteen of these school districts are part of the TVCC tax-paying district.

The purpose of the College is to prepare students for transfer to upper-level institutions by offering a core curriculum of freshman/sophomore courses in arts and sciences; to help students gain employment through completion of academic and workforce programs leading to an Associate of Arts degree, Associate of Applied Sciences degree, or a Certificate of Completion; to help disadvantaged students develop educational skills leading to academic success; to schedule continuing adult education programs leading directly to employment in semi-skilled and skilled occupations; to support and promote workforce development programs designed to meet local counseling and guidance; to provide literacy and other basic skills programs for adults; and to help students realize their goals with the best higher education experience possible through improvement of their intellectual, social, cultural, and physical abilities.

Trinity Valley Community College maintains an open-door admissions policy and constantly strives to provide programs beneficial to all students. TVCC enrolled 5,664 students in fall, 2005. Eighty percent of students were Caucasian, 12% African American, 7% Hispanic, and 1% were of other ethnic origin. Sixty percent of our students are female. The Athens campus enrolled 2,680, the TVCC-Terrell campus enrolled 1,117 students, TVCC-Palestine enrolled 1,062, the Texas Department of Corrections location enrolled 537, the TVCC-Health Science Center in Kaufman enrolled 357, and the remaining students enrolled at other locations.

List of Degrees

A.A.S.
A.A.
Certificates of Completion

Majors & Concentrations:

Associate of Arts Degree
Agriculture
Arts
Biology
Business Administration
....... Accounting
....... Economics
....... Finance
....... Management
....... Marketing
....... General Business
Chemistry
Communications
....... Journalism
....... Photography
Computer Science (Business)
Computer Science (Science)
Criminal Justice
Drama
Education
English
History & Government
Kinesiology
Liberal Arts
Mathematics
Music
....... Brass
....... Percussion
....... Woodwinds
Music
....... Guitar
....... Organ
....... Piano
....... Voice
Physical Science
Physics
Pre-Engineering
Pre-Landscape Architecture
Pre-Law
Pre-Professional Programs
....... Dentistry
....... Medicine
....... Pharmacy
....... Veterinary Medicine
Psychology
Sociology
Spanish
Speech

Associate of Applied Science Degrees
Accounting
Business & Office Administration
....... General Business
....... Office Technology
....... Legal Assistant
....... Medical Administrative Assistant
Computer Science
....... Management Information Systems
....... Programming Management
Criminal Justice
....... Law Enforcement
....... Correctional Science
Drafting & Design
.......Computer Graphics
....... Mechanical Design
....... Architectural/Civil
Early Childhood Development
Emergency Medical Services
Fire Science
Horticulture & Landscape
Ranch Management
Nursing
Surgical Technology  

Certificate of Completion Programs - TVCC Campus
Accounting
Automotive Technology
Office Technology
Legal Assistant Technology
Medical Office Management
Medical Transcription
Computer Science – Management Information Systems
Computer Science – Computer Programming
Cosmetology
Cosmetology Student Instructor
Manicure Technology
Criminal Justice – Law Enforcement
Criminal Justice – Correctional Science
Drafting – Computer Graphics
Drafting – Mechanical Design
Early Childhood Administrator
Para Educator
Early Childhood Education
Infant & Toddler School Age
Emergency Medical Services
Fire Science Technology
Horticulture & Landscape Operations
Management
Small Business Management
Patient Care Technology
Ranch Management
Beef Cattle Manager
Surgical Technology
Vocational Nursing
Welding  

Certificate of Completion - TVCC/Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Air Conditioning/Refrigeration
Auto Body Repair
Electronics Technology
Computer Maintenance Technology
Drafting Technology
Horticulture
Computer Information Technology
Masonry
Welding  

Locations and Distance Education  

Trinity Valley Community College – Athens
USA, Texas, Athens
A.A., A.A.S., Certificates of Completion (Complete Degree and Certificates)

Trinity Valley Community College – Palestine
USA, Texas, Palestine
A.A., A.A.S., Certificates of Completion (Complete Degree and Certificates)

Trinity Valley Community College – Terrell
USA, Texas, Terrell
A.A., A.A.S., Certificates of Completion (Complete Degree and Certificates)

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
USA, Texas, Tennessee Colony
A.A., A.A.S., Certificates of Completion (Complete Degree and Certificates)

Trinity Valley Community College Health Science Center
USA, Texas, Kaufman
A.A.S., Certificates of Completion (Partial Degree and Certificates and Complete Certificates)

Offerings through distance education include courses in Accounting, Business, Business and Office Administration, Biology, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Drafting, Economics, English, Geography, Government, History, Medical Terminology, Music Appreciation, Nursing, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Speech, and Early Childhood Development. Distance education serves students in the five-counties of the Trinity Valley Community College service area. However, the college serves students in several locations in Texas through the Virtual College of Texas. Trinity Valley Community College does not offer complete degrees through electronic means.

Accreditation

Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Reaffirmed--1996  

Surgical Technology – Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in cooperation with the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Technology
Last review-- 1996
No sanctions or negative actions

Associate Degree Nursing—National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission
Last review -- 2001
No sanctions or negative actions

Relationship to the U.S. Department of Education

Trinity Valley Community College does not have limitations, suspensions, or termination by the U.S. Department of Education.

Quality Enhancement Plan

Executive Summary of the Quality Enhancement Plan as it exists on March 15, 2006.

“Engaged Learning: Pathways to Success,” Trinity Valley Community College’s QEP, emerged from discussions with faculty, administrators, staff, and students that began in spring 2005. Groups responded to one question: “If TVCC could do one thing to improve student learning, what would that be?” Following these discussions, the vice president of instruction appointed the Learning Initiative Council, a select group of faculty and staff charged with more narrowly focusing the QEP. The Council included numerous Master and outstanding teachers. Early efforts were facilitated by the dean of planning and institutional effectiveness. TVCC later appointed a full-time director of the learning initiative (June 2005). In September 2005, TVCC added a full-time learning initiative secretary. The Learning Initiative has become an ongoing part of the institution’s activities beyond the requirements for the QEP. This is in line with the institution’s new mission statement, which indicates that TVCC is a “learning-centered” college.

The current focus of the QEP is captured in the following statement: “The Learning Initiative is a TVCC project designed to increase students' ability to read and write in crucial learning experiences by enhancing student engagement.” The College decided that the Learning Initiative would be phased in over a several years, with the focus of phase one being on improvement of student’s reading comprehension through the enhancement of student engagement. After progress is made on phase one, additional phases would focus on enhancing student writing abilities (phase two) and critical thinking abilities (phase three).

In spring 2005, TVCC initiated a significant effort to collect baseline data to create a snapshot where TVCC stood in relation to reading comprehension and student engagement. Data collection efforts include results from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE), and an evaluation of reading comprehension through the administration of the reading portion of the Texas Assessment of Skills Program (TASP). TASP is a standardized test that measures six dimensions of reading ability. The CCSSE and CCFSSE compared TVCC to other community colleges in the nation on five benchmarks (Active and Collaborative Learning, Student Effort, Academic Challenge, Student-Faculty Interaction, and Support for Learners). TASP Reading tests were given to 625 students seeking AA, AAS degrees and certificates in fall 2005. Post-tests of reading ability were given to 418 of the same students. TVCC is currently analyzing the results of reading gains made by students. The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) and the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) were administered on a pilot basis in spring 2005 and fall 2006. These efforts were undertaken with the direction of the Learning Initiative Assessment Team.

In fall 2005, the Learning Academy project was initiated to support the professional development needs of faculty. The project was designed like a graduate course, with an emphasis in changing faculty’s course design to increase student/faculty engagement. The Student Engagement Team, a separate working group, has initiated “Student Networking Groups” and “Textbook Website Usage” pilots. The LI Council currently has six teams, including those listed above as well as the Reading Team, Technology Team, and Update Team. As the activities of these teams increase, faculty and staff are helping to shape the pathways to student success.