Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element # 1: A chief executive whose primary responsibility is to lead the institution toward the achievement of its goals and with responsibility for administration of the institution;

1. How is the president held accountable for leading the institution toward achieving its goals?
2. How are decisions-making roles among the College’s top administrators clearly defined?
3. Do all of the College’s operational and planning goals have administrators identified as accountable for their implementation?

Organizational Chart

College Policy Manual

College Planning Document

Board of Trustees meeting minutes

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element # 2: A chief executive with the combination of academic background, professional training, and/or other qualities appropriate to the institution’s mission;

1. Does the chief executive have the necessary academic, professional and other qualities appropriate to carry out the institution's goals?  Expand upon those qualifications.
2. Does the broader College community play a role in determining the skills and experience a president needs to accomplish its institutional goals?

Organizational Chart/HR Documents

Records of Presidential Searches

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element # 3: administrative leaders with appropriate skills, degrees and training to carry out their responsibilities and functions;

Fundamental Element #4: qualified staffing appropriate to the goals, type, size, and complexity of the institution.

1. How are administrative leaders hired?
2. What opportunities exist for professional development for administrators and staff?
3. What criteria are used to determine that administrators possess appropriate skills, degrees and training to carry out the responsibilities for which they are charged?
4. How are administrators and staff evaluated and assessed and are they assessed routinely?
5. Do administrative and staff job descriptions depict what they actually do?
6. How is demographic diversity accomplished within administrative and staff ranks?
7. Are there formal standards, policies and guidelines in place for hiring administrators and staff?

Organizational Chart

Job Descriptions

HR Hiring Guidelines

Affirmative Action Policy

Search Committee Records

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element # 5: Adequate information and decision-making systems to support the work of administrative leaders;

1. How are administrative decisions communicated across all the College’s constituencies? (faculty, students, administrators, housekeeping etc)
2. How is critical organizational information communicated between administrative units?(Deans of Students, Continuing Education, Academic Dean etc)
3. How is technology effectively utilized in facilitating administrative intra organizational communications?
4. How is the administrative structure aligned to effectively support the fulfillment of the College’s mission and goals?
5. How does the administrative structure allow for effective management across the College’s 4 campuses, 9 centers and College Office?
6. How is efficient coordination realized between the various departments and divisions of the College?

Examine e-mail, web page and bulletin board usage

Examine newsletters and distribution of committee and council minutes

Survey IT staff

Survey public agencies , organizations and individuals who call

Organizational Chart

College Committees & Councils

Survey individual administrators

Survey committee and council members

Executive Information System

Management Information System

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element # 6: Clear documentation of the lines of organization and authority;

1. How is the organizational structure communicated across the various College constituencies? (faculty, administrators, clerical etc)
2. How are the roles and responsibilities of administrators defined and communicated throughout the College’s constituencies?
3. How does the College’s governance process define lines of authority between administration and faculty?
4. How do the College’s AFT and SEIU collective bargaining agreements clarify or obscure administrative decision-making?

SurveyCollegeemployees on their knowledge of the organizational structure

Review governance structure, rules, minutes

Review collective bargaining agreements

Survey faculty and administrative members of governance committees and those impacted by this process

Organizational chart

Job descriptions

Clarus Report

College web site

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Fundamental Element # 7: Periodic assessment of the effectiveness of administrative structures and services;

1. How is the performance of the College’s administrative units evaluated?
2. How is the College planning process used to assess administrative effectiveness?
3. How does the College budgeting process provide a yardstick for measuring the performance of administrative units?
4. How is the College’s mission and goals used to assess administrative performance?

AnnualCollege, divisional  and departmental reports

College Planning documents

Interview Executive Deans, Academic Deans, V.P. for Administrative Services, etc

Evaluations

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Integrity, Fundamental Element #4: equitable and appropriately consistent treatment of constituencies, as evident in such areas as student discipline, student evaluation, grievance procedures, faculty promotion, tenure, retention and compensation, administrative review, curricular improvement, and institutional governance and management;

1. How does CCAC assure consistent treatment of all…administration?
2. How does CCAC assure that all governance and management is performed with fairness and consistency in mind?

Administrative review procedures

Investigation of length of tenure of CCAC administrators  v.v. other institutions

EEOC, NLRB records

Fundamental Elements and Related Questions

Evidence/Methodology

Integrity, Fundamental Element #5: a climate of academic inquiry and engagement supported by widely disseminated policies regarding academic and intellectual freedom;

1. How does the college promote academic inquiry and engagement that is supported by academic and intellectual freedom?
2. What evidence do we have to indicate that these values are communicated and consistently applied?
3. If lapses surface, how are they dealt with?

Interviews with academic deans

College policy manuals

Records of conflict resolution