Course Catalog 2020-2021
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COURSE CATALOG 2020-2021 kvcc.me.edu COURSE CATALOG 2018-2020 | A A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Welcome to Kennebec Valley Community College. KVCC provides a high-quality education, ensuring that our graduates acquire the skills necessary to secure a satisfying profession, engage successfully in further study or simply find joy in learning. With over 30 degree and certificate programs, Kennebec Valley offers a dynamic education relevant to all aspects of Maine's labor market with a consistently high job placement rate and clear pathways for transfer to four-year institutions. The faculty and staff at Kennebec Valley are focused on student success. Classes and support services are designed to help students meet their academic, professional and personal objectives. This focus on students means that KVCC is an ideal place for all types of people -those starting college directly from high school or those entering college after many years away from an academic setting. Our student body comes from a wide variety of backgrounds, whether traditional students, single mothers, war veterans, disabled students, unemployed adults or folks simply wanting a change after years on the job. The range of student experiences brings a richness to the campus culture and classroom dynamic. Whatever your situation, we are here to assist you in getting started, making sure you feel welcome and guiding you all the way to graduation and beyond. KVCC is accessible and affordable; in the past year approximately 90 percent of our students qualified for a comprehensive financial aid package that covered nearly all tuition and fees. Many of our part-time students also qualify for solid financial aid packages and the KVCC Foundation provides additional assistance for those in need. It is our responsibility and our collective task to make the education we offer the most effective, efficient and accessible that it can be for our entire community. Are you worried about student loans? Fewer than 40 percent of our students take out a student loan and therefore more than 60 percent graduate debt-free. For those students who do take out student loans, the typical loan amount is only about $2,500 per year of full-time study - not the crushing debt we so often hear about for students who attend other colleges. KVCC participates in a block transfer agreement with the University of Maine System wherein credit for all core general-studies courses required for any Associate's degree program transfers hassle-free to any UMaine Bachelor's program. KVCC also has articulation agreements with Thomas College, Husson University, University of New England and other area colleges, helping to make a four-year undergraduate experience completely affordable. KVCC students recently have been admitted to Colby College, Amherst College, and Vassar College, illustrating that all types of higher education are within the reach of a KVCC student. In the past seven years, KVCC has invested nearly $30 million in its infrastructure and programming. The new Harold Alfond Campus in Hinckley, Maine is just 6 miles from the KVCC Main Campus in Fairfield. The new KVCC Center for Science boasts the most beautiful lecture hall in all of Maine. A $2.5 million grant has supported the development of The Farm at KVCC and our new Culinary Arts program. Surplus produce is donated to local nonprofits such as Mainers Feeding Mainers. A $3.5 million grant has been invested in information technology infrastructure and a $2.5 million grant has been invested in labs and technology necessary to ensure that KVCC's | 1 programs in Medical Assisting and Mental Health are the best in New England. Grants supporting our Early Childhood Development program are transforming teaching methods to incorporate nature exploration and family engagement strategies emphasizing healthy living and STEM education. A US Department of Labor grant has also supported KVCC in developing a new academic program in Sustainable Construction. This program now has the largest carpentry lab of any community college in the northeastern United States where students can raise a complete barn or post-and-beam house indoors. Thanks to a gift from Central Maine Power and leveraging additional resources, KVCC now has an indoor Electrical Lineworker Training Facility. In fall 2016, KVCC created a new Honors Program, a rigorous option for students seeking a challenge and wishing to set themselves apart. This new program integrates options for experiential education, portfolio development, and cross-registration in undergraduate courses at other colleges and universities in Maine, from Thomas College to the University of Southern Maine to Colby College. Of course, KVCC still has the strongest education in the trades and health occupations and over 95 percent of our graduates securing jobs within three months of graduation. KVCC graduates also have some of the highest passage rates on licensure examinations in Nursing and Allied Health fields in the state - a clear indicator of the quality of education being delivered. The health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff is paramount. The Covid-19 pandemic has understandably had an impact on all higher education in Maine and around the world. KVCC has adapted rapidly to the need for physical distancing by transitioning much of the classroom learning to a virtual environment wherever possible for the near term. The college has also adapted its essential hands-on learning environments on campus, including laboratory instruction, to meet physical distance and safety guidelines. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is now an essential part of lab instruction with face coverings which will be required for any campus visits until further notice. Each academic program has a pandemic plan in place, with clear distance and sanitation protocols that are mutually respected by all faculty, staff, and students. Clinical placements in nursing and allied health fields are adhering to strict healthcare protocols. KVCC graduates are entering this moment in history with credentials that make them better equipped to revive the economy, care for the sick, and build the new world. The degree and certificate programs as well as our short- term training programs help students to develop specialized skills and insights that will move us all forward. Your pursuit of higher education and specialized training at this moment in history offers us hopefulness. KVCC students develop an enhanced perspective, strength, and the composure to face more and do more than they ever dreamed possible. KVCC graduates will be better able to help our society heal by turning our fragility and uncertainty into progress. For the time being, campus visits are being carefully coordinated by our Office of Safety and Security. Please contact Enrollment Services, your faculty program chair, or the Office of Safety and Security to get details on how you can safely visit the campus. Let us help you determine a way to get started or resume studies so that you can achieve your goals. KVCC prides itself on being a friendly, open and warm community where all students are encouraged to pursue their dreams. It's time for you to pursue yours. Richard R. Hopper President, Kennebec Valley Community College 2 | Kennebec2020-2021 Valley ACADEMIC Community CALENDAR College 2020-2021 Academic Calendar August 2020 August 2020 February 2021 31 Fall semester begins S M T W R F S S M T W R F S 1 September 2020 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7 Labor Day – No classes 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 8 End of Add/Drop Period 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Flex Start begins 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 29 End of Add/Drop Period for Flex Start 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 28 30 31 October 2020 12-13 October break – No classes 23 Midterm grades due March 2021 September 2020 30 Flex Midterm grades due S M T W R F S S M T W R F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 November 2020 2-13 Spring Semester Registration 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 11 Veterans Day 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 13 Last Day to withdraw from classes 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 25 No Classes after 5 PM 26-28 Thanksgiving Break 28 29 30 31 27 28 29 30 December 2020 April 2021 October 2020 12 Fall semester ends S M T W R F S S M T W R F S 16 Final grades due 1 2 3 1 2 3 January 2021 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Spring semester begins 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Martin Luther King Day 19 End of Add/Drop Period 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 February 2021 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 Spring Flex Start Begins May 2021 November 2020 9 End of Add/Drop Period for Flex Start 15 Presidents’ Day S M T W R F S S M T W R F S 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 March 2021 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 Midterm grades are due 8-13 Spring break 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 19 Flex Midterm grades due 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 22-31 Fall/Summer Registration 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 29 30 April 2021 30 31 1-2 Fall/Summer Registration December 2020 2 Last day to withdraw from classes June 2021 S M T W R F S 19 Patriot’s Day S M T W R F S 1 2 3 4 5 May 2021 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 Last day of classes 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 6 Final Grades due 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 10 Summer Session 1 (4/8/12 weeks) begins 15 Commencement 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 18 End of Summer Session 1 Add/Drop 27 28 29 30 31 Memorial Day January 2021 July 2021 S M T W R F S June 2021 4 Summer session 1 (4 week) ends S M T W R F S 1