Grayson County College Prepared for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Reaffirmation of Accreditation 2012 Submitted March 15, 2011 Compliance Certification Report 2.1 Degree-granting Authority The institution has degree-granting authority from the appropriate government agency or agencies. Judgment Compliant Non-Compliant Not Applicable Narrative Grayson County College (GCC) has degree-granting authority from the state of Texas and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). According to the Texas Education Code 130.0011, “Texas public junior colleges shall be two-year institutions primarily serving their local taxing districts and service areas in Texas and offering vocational, technical, and academic courses for certification or associate degrees.” Texas Education Code 130.180 specifically names GCC and describes its service area. Further, Texas Education Code 130.001 authorizes the THECB to exercise general control of the public junior colleges of Texas, including the responsibility for adopting policies, enacting regulations, establishing general rules necessary, and creating junior college districts. GCC has been in continuous operation since the mid-1960s. A Steering Committee of the Grayson County Development Council appeared before the Study Commission of the Texas State Board of Education and on March 3, 1963, the State Board of Education approved an election to establish a junior college district. Sources CR 2.1 (01) Pages from Texas Education Code Chapter 130. Junior College Districts CR 2.1 (02) Pages from Texas Education Code Chapter 130. Junior College Districts CR 2.1 (03) Pages from Texas Education Code Chapter 130. Junior College Districts 2.2 Governing Board The institution has a governing board of at least five members that is the legal body with specific authority over the institution. The board is an active policy-making body for the institution and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the financial resources of the institution are adequate to provide a sound educational program. The board is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or interests separate from it. Both the presiding officer of the board and a majority of other voting members of the board are free of any contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution. A military institution authorized and operated by the federal government to award degrees has a public board on which both the presiding officer and a majority of the other members are neither civilian employees of the military nor active/retired military. The board has broad and significant influence upon the institution's programs and operations, plays an active role in policy-making, and ensures that the financial resources of the institution are used to provide a sound educational program. The board is not controlled by a minority of board members or by organizations or interests separate from the board except as specified by the authorizing legislation. Both the presiding officer of the board and a majority of other voting board members are free of any contractual, employment, or personal or familial financial interest in the institution. Judgment Compliant Non-Compliant Not Applicable Narrative Grayson County College (GCC) has an elected Board of Trustees, consisting of seven members, which serves as the ultimate legal authority for the college. Texas Education Code 130.002 states that “All authority not vested by this chapter or by other laws of the state in the coordinating board or in the Central Education Agency is reserved and retained locally in each of the respective public junior college districts or in the governing boards of such junior colleges as provided in the laws applicable.” GCC Local Policy BBE gives the Board authority to act as the policy-making body and requires the Board to transact business in open meetings. The GCC Board of Trustees is elected by local voters with each member serving a six year term. The Board meets regularly in open session to exercise its responsibilities and duties in compliance with GCC Legal Policy BBE and in compliance with Texas Education Code 51.352(e): “Each board member shall have the legal responsibility of a fiduciary in the management of funds under the control of colleges subject to the Board‟s control and management.” The GCC Board of Trustees take responsibility for the control and expenditures of funds, setting of tuition and fees, management of property, and development of College policies and procedures. The Board reviews and adopts an annual budget. The Board requires and reviews an annual financial audit, conducted by an independent accounting firm, to ensure resources are available and allocated as presented in monthly reviews. The Board receives the written audit report accompanied by a personal presentation by a representative of the auditing firm, as evidenced in Board minutes for January 22, 2008, January 20, 2009, and January 19, 2010. The GCC Board of Trustees actively sets policies for the institution. Recent examples include approval of changes to GCC Local Policies DJ and BGC on June 17, 2008, which address faculty teaching load and on September 22, 2009, approval of a change in the local guidelines for awarding TPEG (Texas Public Education Grants) to disadvantaged students, which lowered the required enrollment from six credit hours to a minimum of three semester credit hours. GCC belongs to the statewide system of public community colleges established in 1965 under the control of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). No minority of Board members controls GCC, and no organization or interest separate from the Board of Trustees controls GCC. As mandated, no member of the GCC Board of Trustees has a contractual, employment, or personal interest in the institution. The presiding officer, other officers, and elected members of the Board subscribe and swear to an oath that they have no contractual, employment, personal, familial, or financial interest in the College. GCC Legal Policy BBFA Legal and Legal Policy DBE details employment restrictions and prohibit nepotism by public officials. This policy also defines relationships that are included in the nepotism rules. Name Title Board Position Year Elected Janet Gott Retired, Plant Manager, B.A.G Corporation, Denison, TX President 2005 Bill McFatridge Retired, Owner, Carl's Sausage, Whitewright, TX Vice President 1980 Bobby Brown Certified Public Accountant, Denison, TX Secretary 1997 Ralph Jones Retired, Bank Officer, Denison, TX Member 1970 Dr. Mary Moses Retired, Grayson County College Dean of Health Science Member 1993 Jack Norman Agribusiness, Howe, TX Member 1981 Retired, Public School Teacher and Principal; Edison Ruby Jo Williams Member 1993 Project, Sherman, TX Sources CR 2.2 (01) TEXAS EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 130.002 CR 2.2 (02) GCC Local Policy BBE CR 2.2 (03) GCC Legal Policy BBE CR 2.2 (04) Pages from TEXAS EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 51 - 51.352e CR 2.2 (05) GCC Board of Trustees Minutes January 22, 2008 Excerpt CR 2.2 (06) GCC Board of Trustees Minutes January 20, 2009 Excerpt CR 2.2 (07) GCC Board of Trustees Minutes January 19, 2010 Excerpt CR 2.2 (08) GCC Board of Trustees Minutes June 17, 2008 Excerpt CR 2.2 (09) GCC Board of Trustees Minutes September 22, 2009 Excerpt CR 2.2 (10) GCC Legal Policy BBFA CR 2.2 (11) GCC Legal Policy DBE 2.3 Chief Executive Officer The institution has a chief executive officer whose primary responsibility is to the institution and who is not the presiding officer of the board. Judgment Compliant Non-Compliant Not Applicable Narrative Grayson County College‟s (GCC) chief executive officer‟s primary responsibility is to the institution and is not the presiding officer of the Board. GCC is led by President Alan Scheibmeir, Ph.D. The president is appointed by and accountable to the Board of Trustees according to GCC Legal Policy BAA and, as such, is responsible for the implementation of policy and day-to-day operation of the college. The Performance Management Worksheet (PMW) for the college president shows the president‟s primary responsibility to be to the institution. Among the key responsibility/result areas on his position profile are “understanding and implementing the college Mission....representing college management to the Board of Trustees and working effectively with external entities.” These responsibilities are detailed in actions that directly relate to the role of a president leading and representing an institution. The Board of Trustees‟ current President is Ms. Janet Gott. Ms. Gott has been a member of the Board since 2005, and was elected in June 23, 2009, by the board members to serve as the President for a two-year term. Board members who will serve in the Vice President and Secretary positions were also decided at this time. Sources CR 2.3 (01) GCC Legal Policy BAA CR 2.3 (02) President-Alan Scheibmeir, Ph.D. Performance Management Worksheet CR 2.3 (03) Pages from GCC Board of Trustees Minutes June 23, 2009 2.4 Institutional Mission The institution has a clearly defined, comprehensive, and published mission statement that is specific to the institution and appropriate for higher education. The mission addresses teaching and learning and, where applicable, research and public service. Judgment Compliant Non-Compliant Not Applicable Narrative Grayson County College (GCC) has a clearly defined Mission Statement which reads as follows: The mission of Grayson County College is to cultivate student success and community building in North Texas by: Recognizing our interdependence with various communities Providing a broad and dynamic curriculum to support university transfer, career technical education, developmental, and community education Developing innovative curricula and services facilitated by appropriate technology Creating a supportive learning environment Promoting diversity and cultural enrichment Supporting economic development Committing to an institutional effectiveness process for continuous improvement in the pursuit of excellence.