Board Policies for Academic Affairs

Four Associate degrees will be granted by Mohawk Valley Community College:  The Associate in Arts; The Associate in Science; The Associate in Applied Science; and The Associate in Occupational Studies.

Students completing a college or university parallel curriculum will be awarded the
Associate in Arts degree or the Associate in Science degree.

Students completing a two-year career curriculum will be awarded the Associate in Applied Science degree or the Associate in Occupational Studies. 

General Requirements can be found at http://www.mvcc.edu/institutional-research-and-assessment/ge-program-and-course-list-pdf.

Certificate Programs

The college offers certificate programs made up of degree credit courses leading to technical proficiency in specific fields.  Students completing a certificate program may apply credits earned toward the associate degree for which it is appropriate, providing all entrance requirements are met.

The minimum allowed length of class periods and definition of credit hours will follow SUNY policy, found at http://www.suny.edu/sunypp/documents.cfm?doc_id=168.  The class schedule and length will be defined by the Administration in compliance with SUNY policy.  The normal length of a class is fifty (50) minutes per session, except that some classes may meet for seventy-five (75) minutes per session, but with fewer sessions per term.

For purposes of determining grade point averages, grades are numerically evaluated as follows:
A = 4     B = 3     C = 2     D = 1     F = 0

Grade  Signifies  Grade Points

A   Excellent  4.0
B  Good   3.0
C  Satisfactory  2.0
D  Poor   1.0
F  Failure   0.0

Scholastic Standards

A final grade report is prepared for each student at the end of each term.  This grade report lists the student's record for the immediate past term and also lists his or her cumulative average. 

Grades consist of the following:
A  Excellent
B  Good
C  Satisfactory
D  Poor
F  Failure
W  Withdrawn prior to the official last date established by the Office of Records and Registration
S  Satisfactory (midterm only)
U  Unsatisfactory (midterm only)
I  Incomplete (temporary)
ON  Ongoing
AU  Audit
NR  is not a grade, but a symbol indicating that a grade was not submitted.

Honors

The Vice President for Learning and Academic Affairs shall set the criteria for President’s List, Vice President’s List, and Graduation with Honors.
 

Freshman - A student who has completed fewer than 30 credit hours.

Senior - A student who has completed 30 or more credit hours.

Full-time - A student who takes 12 credit hours in a given semester.

Part-time  - A student who takes fewer than 12 credit hours in a given semester.
 

All students at MVCC are expected to make reasonable progress toward the completion of a degree or certificate.

Their academic performance will be reviewed and appropriate action taken in accordance with Standards of Academic Progress which can be referenced at http://www.mvcc.edu/MarComm/student-hb-2012  or in the Vice President for Learning and Academic Affairs.
 

Attendance is expected at all sessions.  The Board recognizes the primacy of class attendance to the achievement of student success and completion.  Therefore, it is policy that all faculty will establish clear attendance policies for each class and promulgate same in their syllabi.

State University of New York regulations require evidence of pursuit of prescribed course work.  Students who fail to satisfy those regulations may be deleted from the class roster on the official census date.

The development of the dates of operation of the college is the responsibility of the Vice President for Learning and Academic Affairs.  Final approval of the Academic calendar rests with the Board of Trustees.

The Academic Calendar shall appear at http://www.mvcc.edu/registrar/academic-calendar-1.

Procedures for changes in courses, options and programs offered by the college can be found in the Vice President for Learning and Academic Affairs Office or at the following http://www.mvcc.edu/senate/curriculum-committee.

Students transferring to Mohawk Valley Community College from other regionally accredited institutions of higher learning or providing documentation of appropriate instruction may receive whole or partial credit for college courses completed.  Acceptance of transfer credits is the prerogative of the appropriate college academic Center Dean.

As part of an overall commitment to timely program completion and support for returning adults, the administration will develop procedures to allow for the evaluation of Credit for Life Experience that maintain the academic integrity of the College.

The college is committed to a spirit of intellectual inquiry rooted in the ethical behavior of its participants.  This means that certain acts which affect the integrity of learning are not permissible.  Engaging in dishonest or unethical behavior may result in disciplinary action. The procedure can be found at http://www.mvcc.edu/MarComm/student-handbook.

The College’s Academic Amnesty policy allows students, returning after a four-year or longer absence, a one-time opportunity to have previous unsatisfactory grades removed from the calculation of the GPA.  For regulations and procedures, see the Student Handbook. 

Any research proposal must be forwarded to the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis for review and approval by the Research Review Team.

The Vice President for Learning and Academic Affairs will appoint qualified individuals to fill part-time/adjunct teaching positions as may be needed to successfully carry out the mission of the College.  It shall be the responsibility of the hiring supervisors to follow appropriate hiring procedures and select candidates that meet the approved criteria for adjunct faculty minimum qualifications.

Program goals and supporting learning outcomes shall be developed for each degree and certificate: these shall demonstrate linkage to the College Mission and/or the College-wide Competencies.  All course outlines shall contain student learning outcomes which are assessed as appropriate to the courses and programs.  In addition, students are assessed for general education skills in those courses approved for the SUNY Assessment Initiative. The faculty is expected to be involved in the assessment of student learning and is encouraged to use a variety of direct and indirect measures for this purpose.  MVCC believes that assessment data should be shared appropriately for the purposes of program improvement and student success, not for individual or collective evaluation.