The Higher Learning Commission requires a lengthy report from us on Federal Compliance. Because of increased oversight of higher education by the United States Department of Education, accrediting agencies are required by them to collect a more robust report on all areas of the University that are governed by Federal regulations. Unlike the last Self-Study in 2006-07, this report will accompany, but not be part of, the Assurance Argument. Kim Jenerette, Director of Financial Aid and member of the HLC Steering Committee, is taking the lead on gathering all the information that goes into the Federal Compliance report. Please remember to pray for him! It is a very big and important job. In Kim’s own words:
“Federal compliance is a term that frightens many individuals and institutions. With federal regulations being so voluminous, how can an institution possibly be compliant in any and every area? While there is not a simple answer, there is a solution that allows institutions to travel the road towards compliance and that is cooperation. Federal regulations governing compliance and consumer information are much more than just the financial aid and business offices, it is recordkeeping, retention of data, fire safety policies and statistics, graduation rates and aid rates by specific categories, admissions data, and much more. So much that there is an entire section related in regulations (34 CFR 668, subpart D).”
In this blog post, I’d like to make you aware of some of the areas that are under Federal regulation. Did you know, for example, that the assignment of credit hours, length of programs, and corresponding tuition dollars all must be reported IN DETAIL? Pray for Fran Campbell and the Registrar’s Office as they work on this meticulous task.
Did you know that we need to report our processes for handling student complaints, indicating by number, type, and resolution how we handle these? We furthermore need to show how we integrate what we as an institution learn from the complaint process and how we make improvements in services and teaching. This is somewhat complicated, because there is not a one-stop location for filing complaints. There are a number of offices throughout campus that handle and process student complaints related to their specific areas. Compiling this data is a huge job. If your area has NOT yet received an email from me (Sandy Yang) asking for information on how your area processes student complaints, PLEASE let me know. We want to report on ALL areas that deal with this.
Public disclosure of information is another area deemed important to the USDE. We must demonstrate that information such as transfer policies, Title IV program responsibilities, including default rates, campus crime information, athletic participation, financial aid, student right to know, measures of satisfactory academic progress, attendance policies, and contractual relationships are publicly disclosed. Kim Jenerette and Tara Carraher have recently put in hours and hours of work to create our Consumer Information page in the Institutional Research area. Please take a moment to look at their hard work, which strengthens our argument for Federal Compliance.
Finally, Kim tells us, “The best way to ensure your area (and Cedarville University) is to communicate and cooperate with other offices as each are seeking to be not only compliant, but God-honoring.”
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