ACCREDITATION '98

Throughout the self study, several issues become apparent regarding institutional improvement. First, there is an identifiable need for systematic, coordinated collection and analysis of statistics and student data at the College level. Currently, it is difficult to access information necessary for institutional planning or for assessing institutional effectiveness. Many divisions duplicate the research efforts completed by other divisions for lack of a Dean of Development, Research and Planning. Second, there is concern about the finances at the District level. The District was placed on a financial watch list and moved from a level 3 to a level 2 by the state Chancellor's office. During the completion of the self study report, however, the District made huge strides in bringing its contingency account to an acceptable level. Third, there seems to be a lack of clear communication between the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees and all levels of shared governance units. A partial solution to this issue may depend upon a mutual agreement on the definition of the phrase "rely primarily upon" which appears in a board policy statement defining the authority of the Academic Senate. Finally, there is continued fallout from the administrative reorganization that the Board elected to impose on the College in July, 1997. The structure of the College's administration was significantly altered to reduce the number of Deans overseeing academic and student support divisions. Several divisions were merged, with fewer Deans overseeing many more areas of responsibility than before. This has had a negative impact on the effective day-to-day operations of the divisions and the College.

Saddleback College's philosophy and goals are derived from the mission statement of the Board of Trustees of the South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD). The primary responsibility for overseeing their application lies with the Strategic Plan Steering Committee which meets regularly to review the philosophy and goals and make recommendations to the Board. The Board's decision to move the Emeritus Program from Saddleback College to the District did not follow this process, and a need for improvement in the application of the process is recognized.

The lack of a coordinated College-wide plan for institutional research is also a matter which requires resolution. Additionally, the District's mission statement and the College's philosophy and goals need to be modified on a regular basis to reflect state-mandated requirements.

Saddleback College has a number of academic policies and procedures already in place that ensure students a sound educational curriculum while providing academic excellence. The faculty and staff work in an atmosphere of academic freedom and integrity. The College has made great strides in fostering a supportive climate with respect to issues of equity and diversity by developing a culturally diverse curriculum, a Cross-Cultural Studies Program, an International Students' Center, student clubs and activities, and faculty and staff in-service programs.

Many entities at Saddleback College carry out the research necessary for program evaluation and review. Unfortunately, the decision of the SOCCCD not to hire a Dean of Development, Research and Planning makes the gathering of necessary data difficult and cumbersome. The lack of one central research office limits the ability of the various departments to share data with one another. The implementation of the new information management system will assist in providing the campus with the centralized data necessary for effective research. Staffing limitations in the Innovation and Technology Center, however, impact the ability of the College to support its computer infrastructure.

While the planning process has been established, and appropriate documents are in place, there is concern by much of the campus community as to how decision-making is carried out. A six-year rotation of program evaluation is under way and needs to continue as scheduled.

The College clearly delineates its mission and purpose through the Catalog, as well as in several other documents. Ways in which these objectives are achieved are clearly communicated to the public.

The stated mission of Saddleback College includes a commitment "to providing high quality postsecondary educational opportunities." Saddleback College offers educational programs that provide lower division transfer and associate degree programs, occupational certificate programs, community education, non-credit education, and specialized programs that are comprehensive and highly regarded by the College and general communities.

Through its educational programs and its highly qualified faculty and staff, the College affirms its commitment to high standards. The current full-time hiring policies of the College ensure a process by which new faculty are added to guarantee the continuation of educational excellence at Saddleback College. The College must strive for the 75 percent full-time to 25 percent part-time faculty ratio, especially in divisions where there are large numbers of part-time faculty.

The College regularly evaluates the general education package for the associate degree and has recently added a Computer Literacy competency requirement. Certificate program requirements are also evaluated annually by divisions and appropriate advisory boards. The awarding of credit and grades is based on clearly stated objectives and criteria, and Saddleback College students who transfer to baccalaureate institutions demonstrate that the academic standards at Saddleback College are equal or superior to those of the transfer institutions. Distance education courses complement the overall educational program by providing curriculum opportunities for students who find it difficult to attend the more traditional programs on campus.

College publications, including the College catalog, the Schedule of Classes, and the Continuing Education Spectrum, provide accurate information about the College and provide students and the community with an overview of all of the educational programs.

To ensure that the educational programs at Saddleback College continue to be of high quality, the District Budget Committee must address the model of allocation of funds to the College so that financial support is commensurate with the goals and objectives of Saddleback College.

Saddleback College students enjoy a full range of student support services and programs, including admissions, counseling, services for students with disabilities, financial assistance, matriculation, job/career search services, re-entry services, transfer services, child care, health services, safety and security services, co-curricular and student government activities, tutorial services, a College bookstore and a cafeteria. Information regarding these programs, services and facilities is available in the Schedule of Classes, the Saddleback College Catalog, on the College Web site, in the Student Handbook, and through other College program publications.

Since its opening in June of 1990, the Student Services Center has housed the majority of Student Services programs. By centralizing Student Services departments, the College has increased the accessibility of resources and its ability to coordinate services and programs. Computer availability and utilization has enhanced information acquisition and dissemination, and facilitated service delivery to students. The establishment of a telephone registration system has simplified and expedited the registration process. Departments within Student Services continue to assess student needs and evaluate program effectiveness. Results are used to modify and expand services to meet the needs of the College's growing and changing population.

Faculty, administrators, and staff recognize the need for a relational student information system and an automatic student tracking system. Using Title III funds, an automatic student tracking system is scheduled for implementation in 1998. More efficient and effective data collection will provide information that can be used for program evaluation and planning purposes. While funding restrictions and staffing issues continue to challenge all Student Services programs, a firm commitment to maintain a comprehensive array of quality services that facilitate, support, and enhance the instructional program remains a priority for Saddleback College.

The components of Information and Learning Resources at Saddleback College are the library, the Learning Assistance Program and the Interdisciplinary Computer Center, and the Innovation and Technology Center.

Information and Learning Resources has an expert academic and classified staff. There are established procedures for involving faculty in selecting new resources and several vehicles are used to inform the College of new resources and technologies. The Interdisciplinary Computer Center and the new open-access computer lab in the library provide access to technology for class and individual use. The peer tutoring program is supported by more than 100 volunteer tutors. Library research classes and orientations are in high demand. The extensive CD-ROM local area network and Web-based databases provide access to a wide array of citation-only indexes and full-text resources.

There is a recognized need for coordinating the various evaluation efforts, updating the reference and circulating book collections, expanding the audio-visual collections, and stabilizing the classified staff technical and public service areas.

Continued fiscal restraints have had a pronounced effect on staffing levels at the College and vacancies exist in all areas of faculty, administration, and classified staff. College committees have created procedures to prioritize the order in which vacancies will be filled when funding becomes available. The Board of Trustees has reduced the administrative structure of the College, and has also increased its decision-making power in the hiring of senior administrators.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to utilize staff development opportunities afforded by the College and from funds made available to the faculty and staff from the state. Staff development committees plan activities, review requests for funds, and assess the evaluations required for all funded activities.

Faculty and staff are evaluated on a regular basis and the evaluation process continues to be assessed so that contractual conditions are followed and improvements are considered to make the process more responsive and timely. The effect of the reduction of administrative personnel on the evaluation process is being analyzed.

Saddleback College is a comprehensive campus community that provides facilities for academic instruction, learning resources, student services, physical education and athletic programs, community education, and College and District administration. The campus encompasses a total of 608,641 gross square feet with an assignable area of 434,855 square feet. In addition, over 50 off-campus locations, including Leisure World, are used for instructional learning centers and community education programs.

The District's education and facilities master planning process supports the institutional goals of the College. The Facilities Master Plan for Saddleback College is designed as a physical interpretation of the Educational Master Plan and guides future development. The identification of projected weekly student contact hours (WSCH) for a build-out of 28,000 students at Saddleback College was translated into space requirements. The final plan presents a model that will meet the projected needs to maximize enrollment at the College. Because of state fiscal parameters, however, realistic timelines for construction must be addressed. Creative strategies are needed for financing future planned projects.

The District and Saddleback College have undertaken the task of upgrading and improving technological resources for instruction and administration. Through the initiation of Certificates of Participation the College now enjoys a dynamic and modern District-wide computer network. However, the need to upgrade and replace non-instructional equipment still must be addressed and funding sources identified.

Finally, Saddleback College places a very high priority on public safety, occupational health and safety, risk management, and disaster preparedness planning. The institution focuses on prevention and preparedness measures that nurture and maintain an environment that is conducive to the learning process.

Since the last accreditation, the South Orange County Community College District has faced significant financial challenges. During the 1990-1991 fiscal year the District became a "basic aid" district receiving the majority of its funding from local property taxes. Due to a downturn in the economy and reduced property values, the District reverted to the state Program Based-Funding formula during the 1996-1997 fiscal year. As a result of the Orange County Bankruptcy in 1994 the District was faced with the challenge of reducing budgets $2.4 million mid-year. It has taken the District time to recover from these financial challenges, however, projections for the 1997-1998 ending balance indicate a significant improvement in the District's fiscal condition.

At Saddleback College there has been a need to respond to the financial challenges facing the District. The College budget was $39.5 million in 1993-1994 and $40.7 million in 1997-1998, an increase of only three percent in four years. The College has reduced personnel significantly in all employee groups, has implemented a number of utility cost-saving measures, and has severely limited supply and material budgets. Despite these cost-saving measures, personnel costs continue to consume a high portion of the budget, primarily due to inflationary factors within salary schedules. The College struggles with funding existing personnel costs and funding extra classes to achieve growth targets, while ensuring adequate personnel levels, and maintaining supplies and materials budgets.

The South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees operates within policy and written guidelines, however, it has circumvented effective past practices in altering its policy for hiring executive administrators by minimizing input from shared governance units at the College level. A majority of the Saddleback College community that participated in the Institutional Effectiveness Survey (IES) in May, 1997, does not believe that the Board adequately represents the public interest or effectively ensures the financial soundness of the District and its two colleges.

There have been five different acting and permanent College presidents in the past six years and the College has had to undertake creative operational adjustments with each new president and presidential style. The SOCCCD Board of Trustees significantly reduced the College's administrative organization in July, 1997, which had a negative result on the morale of the remaining Deans and on the College community as a whole. The institution supports faculty, staff and student participation in governance, although recent reductions in reassigned time may have a negative effect on the ability of faculty to effectively participate in the shared governance process.

The SOCCCD has a history of effective leadership. Since 1992, however, there have been four different acting and permanent Chancellors. It is apparent from the responses to the IES that the District needs to communicate more completely to the College community about its operations.

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