The institution employs competent faculty members qualified to accomplish the mission and goals of the institution. When determining acceptable qualifications of its faculty, an institution gives primary consideration to the highest earned degree in the discipline. The institution also considers competence, effectiveness, and capacity, including, as appropriate, undergraduate and graduate degrees, related work experiences in the field, professional licensure and certifications, honors and awards, continuous documented excellence in teaching, or other demonstrated competencies and achievements that contribute to effective teaching and student learning outcomes. For all cases, the institution is responsible for justifying and documenting the qualifications of its faculty. (See Commission guidelines “Faculty Credentials.”)

Compliance Certification Rationale for Judgment of Compliance

Southwest Texas Junior College employs both full-time and part-time faculty members who are qualified and competent to accomplish the mission and goals of the college. When determining acceptable qualifications for faculty, the SWTJC Directors, Deans, and the Vice President of Academic Affairs give primary consideration to the highest degree a faculty member has earned in a discipline. With regard particularly to faculty teaching in Technical disciplines, the administration also considers professional experience, licensures, certifications, and relevant demonstrated competencies or abilities. The “Transcript Evaluation Form” is used to review faculty credentials and to catalog relevant courses and other professional experience.

Generally, SWTJC faculty who teach courses designed for college/university transfer are required to hold the Master’s degree in the course discipline or hold a Master’s degree and at least eighteen graduate hours in the discipline(s) taught. Faculty teaching courses designed to prepare students for employment in career and technical fields are expected to have experience in the field, and education or credentials at the same level or higher than the certificate or degree being awarded in the program. Faculty teaching developmental courses are expected to have at least a bachelor’s degree and teaching experience in the discipline, either in a college program or at the secondary level.

The SWTJC Faculty Handbook provides for the continuing professional growth of the faculty with the admonition: “Faculty members are expected to maintain themselves as competent scholars in their chosen academic fields, constantly growing in the knowledge of the subject and in the ability to present it effectively” (p. 93).

Each faculty member’s employment application, Transcript Evaluation Form, official transcripts, and all other licensures and credentials are maintained in the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

FACULTY ROSTER 

Please click on the heading above to access the complete faculty roster required for this Compliance Certification. For some faculty, column #4 contains a link to information offered to clarify or explain what we anticipate the reader may question regarding credentials vs. a course or courses taught.

Off-Site Committee Judgment and Commentary:
Non-Compliance

Faculty credentials were reviewed for all full and part-time faculty and inadequate faculty credentials were found.  Faculty members in the following areas have been found to provide insufficient credentialing evidence in the following areas:  Please see the Request for Justifying and Documenting Qualifications of Faculty Form.

Request for Justifying and Documenting
Qualifications of Faculty

Institution:  Southwest Texas___________________________________

For each of the faculty members listed below, the committee either found the academic qualification of the faculty member to be inadequate and/or the institution did not adequately justify and document the faculty member’s other qualifications to teach the identified course(s). For each case, the committee checked the column appropriate to its findings and provided additional comments if needed to clarify the concern.

The institution is requested to submit additional justification and documentation on the qualifications of each of the faculty member listed. When responding, the institution should use the Commission’s “Faculty Roster Form: Qualifications of Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty” and its “Instructions for Reporting the Qualifications of Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty,” which can be accessed under the Institutional Resources tab of the Commission website:  www.sacscoc.org.  Read the instructions carefully and pay close attention to the section “Providing Information that Establishes Qualifications.”  The completed form, or similar document, should be included as part of the institution’s formal response to the Commission.

Form Adopted:  January 2007
Updated:  January 2011

Institutional Response

The Off-Site Committee indicated qualification issues with the following Southwest Texas Junior College faculty:

Dr. Gabrielle Forbes – Biology – Full-Time
Ms. Ana Bermea – Child Development – Part-Time – No Longer Employed by SWTJC
Ms. Lorie Compton – Child Development – Full-Time

Additional information, such as specific relevant coursework, has been provided for each faculty member in Column 3 of the following table and/or below the table entry for the given instructor.

In addition, for Ms. Bermea and Ms. Compton, the titles of their listed degrees are links which will take the reader to the instructor’s transcripts. Dr. Forbes’ credential file at Southwest Texas Junior College does not contain transcripts, a circumstance which will be explained below.

Dr. Gabrielle Forbes holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and a Ph.D. in Biology, from the University of Stirling in Scotland, as listed above. Universities in the British Isles do not utilize transcripts to indicate coursework for degrees; they award degrees based upon the recommendation of their Faculty. Dr. Forbes’ credential file at SWTJC contains the results of her final examination results from Trinity College. They indicate a “first Division Result,” a very high achievement. Her credential file also contains an official letter from the University of Stirling attesting to Dr. Forbes’ having completed all university requirements for the Ph.D.

Dr. Forbes has been a full-time instructor of Biology at SWTJC since the Fall semester of 2000.