2002-03 PAC Catalog
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Volume 17, No. 1, May 2002 2002-03 PALO ALTO COLLEGE BULLETIN CATALOG OF COURSES Volume 17, No. 1, May 2002 The Palo Alto College Bulletin (USPS 018367) is published quarterly in March, May, July, and October by Palo Alto College, 1400 W. Villaret Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78224-2499. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Antonio, Texas POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PALO ALTO COLLEGE 1400 W. Villaret Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78224-2499. Telephone 210/921-5000 Palo Alto College is a college of the Alamo Community College District www.accd.edu/pac 1 Palo Alto College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone number 404/679-4501) to award associate degrees and by the Committee on Animal Technician Activities and Training of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Its programs are approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the American Society of Transportation and Logistics. Palo Alto College is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This catalog contains policies, regulations, procedures, and course content effective at the beginning of the Fall Semester 2002. Palo Alto College reserves the right to make changes at any time to reflect current Board policies, administrative regula- tions and procedures, and applicable State and Federal regulations. The provisions of this bulletin are subject to change without notice and do not constitute a contract between any student and the college. Palo Alto College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The Alamo Community College District, including its affiliated colleges, does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability with respect to access, employment programs, or services. Inquiries or complaints concerning these matters should be brought to the attention of: Director of Human Resources, Title IX Coordinator, 210/208-8051. Address: Human Resources Department, 201 W. Sheridan, Bldg. AA, San Antonio, Texas 78204. For special accommodations or an alternate format, contact the Palo Alto Special Services Center at 921-5287. TABLE OF CONTENTS Palo Alto College History & Purpose ..................................................... 3 Academic Calendar ................................................................................. 7 College Organization ............................................................................. 13 Admissions and Registration ................................................................. 19 Financial Services and Assistance ......................................................... 31 Student Support Services & Activities .................................................. 47 General Information .............................................................................. 63 Academic Regulations and Policies ...................................................... 73 Graduation ............................................................................................. 85 Curricular Offerings ............................................................................ 155 Administration, Trustees, Faculty & Staff .......................................... 305 Index .................................................................................................... 339 Organizational Chart ........................................................................... 348 Campus Map ........................................................................................ 350 Helpful Telephone Numbers ............................................................... 352 2 OUR HISTORY & PURPOSE 4-1/2 x 2-3/4 Top Prof (A) 3 Historical Sketch Palo Alto College was established by the Alamo Community College District Board of Trustees on February 21, 1983, and chartered by the Texas Legislature on March 19, 1983, as an open admission, public, two-year college. Classes began in September 1985 with 231 students enrolled. The opening of the college turned a community vision of establishing an institution of higher learning in the under- served Southside of Bexar County into reality. Historically, Hispanics comprise more than half of Palo Alto’s enrollment, and females generally outnumber males. For two years, the college’s administrative offices were located at Billy Mitchell Village near Kelly Air Force Base. Initial classes were held at various locations including the Southwest Center of the Alamo Community College District, local high schools, and military bases until the campus opened in January 1987. The College serves students who come from an immediate service area in the southern sector of San Antonio, other parts of Bexar County, and the outlying rural counties south of Bexar County. Palo Alto was designed to accommodate 2,050 students on 111 acres at I-410 South and Hwy 16 in southern Bexar County. However, consistent increases in enrollment have prompted much physical growth, specifically through the construction of new facilities for added classroom space as well as sports and recreation. The college was cited by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as the fastest growing community college in the State of Texas in Fall 1991. The first 11 buildings of 145,409 square feet were joined by a two-story General Education classroom building in 1991, a Natatorium/Gymnasium Complex in 1992, the George Ozuna Jr. Learning Resources & Academic Computing Center in 1997, and the Ray Ellison Family Center in 2001. The college now encompasses 274,491 square feet on 126 acres. Originally expected to peak at 2,500 and then projected to reach 6,000 by 1996, enrollment reached a height of 7,607 in Fall 1996. The college drew many students from the northwest quadrant of the city, prompting the ACCD to establish Northwest Vista College in 1995. Palo Alto’s Fall 2001 headcount was 6,647. 4 Founded on the belief that education is the central element to improving lives, Palo Alto College remains an institution of high academic standards. It serves a growing student body with an increasingly diverse curriculum that features two-year course plans in the arts and sciences as well as many technical-oriented programs. Through Palo Alto, students can earn certificates or complete the first two years of a four-year degree plan for transfer to a university. Because of its high transfer rate and the success of its students who do transfer and achieve a baccalaureate degree, Palo Alto was among eight community colleges studied as part of the Ford Foundation’s national “Cultures of Success” study. The college is continually receiving accolades from four-year universities commenting on the high caliber of preparation the students who transfer have attained. In 1996, the Frank M. Tejeda/Palo Alto College Scholarship Fund was initiated in honor of the U.S. Congressman, who died the next year from brain cancer. The fund provides prestigious scholarships to 10 students each year. In response to an expressed need for a public, four-year university serving the southern sector of Bexar County, the Texas A&M University System opened a branch campus of Texas A&M University-Kingsville in Fall 2000, which offers junior- and senior-level classes on the community college campus. Using the “pathway model” endorsed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas A&M University-Kingsville System Center-Palo Alto can petition the Legislature to become a freestanding Texas A&M campus when it reaches a full-time enrollment equivalent to 2,500 students. Palo Alto College is “the heart of community,” and continues to evolve to meet the needs of its students. NORTHWEST VISTA COLLEGE PALO ALTO COLLEGE ALAMO ST. PHILIP'S COLLEGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE Mission The Alamo Community College District provides educational opportunities for the citizenry of Bexar and surrounding counties, thus contributing to the economic, academic, social and cultural development of the region. The colleges, catalysts for changing lives, serve as centers of academic excellence and technological advancement. 5 PURPOSE STATEMENT Mission Statement As a public comprehensive community college, Palo Alto College provides exemplary, accessible education and training to a diverse and aspiring community. The College educates, nurtures, and inspires students through a dynamic and supportive learning environment, which promotes the intellectual, cultural, economic and social life of the community. Quality Student Instruction Success Core Values Commitment Appreciation to Community of Diversity Major Functions Palo Alto College fulfills its mission by offering the following: • General, transfer, and technical education; • Basic skills development and comprehensive literacy programs; • Continuing education and community outreach; • Student success and support programs; • Instructional technologies and distance education; • Library information resources; and • Institutional research, planning, development and evaluation. 6 ACADEMIC CALENDAR 7 ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2002-2003 First Summer Session — Day 2002 (six weeks) Consult class schedule for registration/advisement. June 3 Monday. Classes begin. June 6 Thursday. Census date. June 21 Friday. Last day to withdraw. July 4 Thursday. INDEPENDENCE DAY HOLIDAY. College closed. July 5 Friday. Last day of classes. July 8-9 Monday-Tuesday. FINAL EXAMINATIONS. Nov.