Class Cancellation Process

Program Termination Procedure

1. If a campus deems that a program should be terminated, the campus shall submit in writing to the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA):
   1. A completed Program Termination Form (Palm Beach State College - Academic Affairs - Program Termination Form)
   2. The SACSCOC Substantive Change Assessment Form (Palm Beach State College - Academic Affairs - Substantive Change Form).
      In order to comply with SACSCOC procedure for program closures, the Program Termination Form must include the following information:
      • Rationale for termination
      • HR Impact:
        • names and titles of affected faculty and staff
        • plan for notification, redeployment or assistance finding employment in the event of their termination
      • Facilities & Property Impact:
        • classroom space disposition
        • equipment and asset disposition,
      • Student Impact:
        • names of students in the program
        • indication of whether students will incur additional cost additional cost to students and
        • teach-out plan(s) for these students*
        • identify any additional costs students will incur from the teach out plan and how students will be notified of this expense
      • Other accrediting bodies for program (in addition to SACSCOC)

Note: Please contact Academic Affairs for additional requirements if a Teach-out agreement with another institution will be implemented.

2. If the VPAA approves the termination request, it will be taken to the President’s Cabinet for recommendation. If the President’s Cabinet recommends approval, the request shall be moved to the President for final approval. If not, then it will be sent back to the campus with comments.
3. Upon the President’s approval, the Teach-out Plan will be submitted to SACSCOC for approval.
4. The curriculum committee is copied on the program termination and the teach-out plan is presented to the curriculum committee as a “for your information” item. Note: The program must also initiate all appropriate changes to the curriculum associated with the program closure using established PBSC curriculum change procedures.
5. Upon SACSCOC approval each student must be notified in writing of the program termination and given the approved “teach-out” plan and timeline for program completion.
6. The VPAA Office will file required paperwork with appropriate college and accreditation bodies to include the District Board of Trustees and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
7. A college-wide email is distributed announcing program termination.
8. A final report is prepared by the campus and submitted to the VPAA Office when the last students have completed the program.

Enacted July 2004 in Section G from existing policy; revised July 2008; reviewed July 2010; revised July 2018

Substantive Change Policy and Procedure

1. Purpose: Compliance with the Substantive Change for SACSCOC Accredited Institutions Policy Statement.
2. Policy: No employee of Palm Beach State College will implement any change to a College Program, College Campus, College Campus Offerings, Off-site Location, District Board of Trustees Policy or Program Delivery Method that might create a substantive change without the approval of the Substantive Change Review Committee.
3. Process for Submission: Faculty and/or staff must submit changes for assessment and/or approval:
   1. Substantive Change Assessment Form (Form 1). This form must be submitted for each type of change as outlined in the Substantive Change Responsibility Chart. The Substantive Change Assessment form will be required of every curriculum action that adds or modifies a program. Submission of the form for other types of changes is the responsibility of the initiator of the proposed change (i.e., relocating a program, new facility, or a new campus). The form is submitted to the Substantive Change Review Committee.
   2. Campus Off-Site Course Approval Web Form - This Web form is submitted for each off-campus site utilized by the campuses. The form is submitted to the Substantive Change Review Committee.
4. Process for Review: The Substantive Change Assessment Form and the Campus Off-Site Course Approval Forms will be reviewed by the Substantive Change Review Committee (consisting of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Dean of Curriculum, the Dean of Baccalaureate Studies, the Director of Institutional Research & Effectiveness and the Manager of Assessment). Forms must be submitted at least 90 days before the term starts. Any further actions required to be filed with SACSCOC will be coordinated by the Colleges’ SACSCOC Liaison.

Substantive Change Responsibility Chart

¹a significant departure is one in which a program is not closely related to previously approved programs at the institution, site or for the mode of delivery. To determine if a new program is a “significant departure”, it is helpful to consider the following questions:

• What previously approved programs does the institution offer that are closely related to the new program and how are they related?
• Will significant additional equipment or facilities be needed?
• Will significant additional financial resources be needed?
• Will a significant number of new faculty members be required?
• Will a significant number of new courses be required?
• Will significant additional library/learning resources be needed?

²significant changes in mission are those that lead to a fundamental shift in the nature of the institution, such as an institution that had offered only professional programs deciding to add general education offerings, or a technical college transforming itself into a comprehensive community college.

³significant changes in program length are those with noticeable impact on the program’s completion time (e.g., increasing a baccalaureate degree from 124 hours to 150 hours).

Sites reported to SACSCOC as 25-49% - AA Degree

A.S. Degree

Form 1: Substantive Change Assessment Form

Submitted by: ___

Date: ___

Brief Description of Proposed Change: ___

Review by Substantive Change Committee:

▢ Approve – Description of actions needed for SACSCOC Compliance ___

▢ Not approved

▢ Returned to submitter for additional explanation: ___

Date of Review: ___

Web Form for Campus Off-Site Course Approval

The form is located at http://intranet.palmbeachstate.edu/asputilities/oca/OffCampusApproval.asp.

Enacted July 2007into Section G from existing policy; revised July 2010; revised July 2019