(a)An off-campus educational unit is not a separate
general academic institution and therefore is not independent as regards
academic, administrative, and fiscal matters, but has varying degrees
of dependence upon the parent institution in such matters.
(b)The general purpose of off-campus educational units
of all sizes is to meet the education needs of the people of Texas
with a level of service that is appropriate for the area and cost
effective to offer. Their specific purpose is directly related to
the teaching of courses for academic credit from the parent institution(s)
and/or for health professions' medical training.
(c)Off-campus educational units are not intended to
duplicate the full array and types of offerings available at regular
general academic campuses. The intent is to:
(1)Focus on teaching and on delivery of high demand
courses and programs. Research conducted at off-campus educational
units should be limited to that necessary for the courses and programs
offered.
(2)Develop articulation agreements with community
colleges in the area for provision of lower-division courses. In general,
off-campus educational units are not intended to offer lower-division
courses. Lower-division courses can only be offered in accordance
with Chapter 4.101 - 4.108 of this title, relating to Approval of
Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction for Public Colleges
and Universities, and related Board procedures.
(3)Make extensive use of technology to limit the number
of faculty required for the location and take full advantage of technological
advances that promise to improve quality of learning, access to programs,
and efficient use of existing resources. An off-campus educational
unit shall meet the Board's technology standards.
(4)Make extensive and effective use of technology
in libraries, including full utilization of TexShare electronic resource
sharing efforts.
(d)Degree programs offered at off-campus educational
units must be offered by and in the name of the parent institution(s).
(1)No program may be offered at an off-campus educational
unit that does not have prior approval to be offered at the parent
institution, except under unusual and approved circumstances.
(2)The Board must be notified of programs offered
at off-campus educational units. The Board shall maintain a list of
these degree programs and make that list readily available to the
public.
(3)The parent institution must commit to providing
a program long enough for a student to have a reasonable opportunity
to graduate before the resource is withdrawn or to make other reasonable
arrangements for students to complete programs that they have started.
(e)Off-campus educational units shall adhere to quality
and approval criteria regarding courses, programs, student services
and other academic matters contained in §§4.101 - 4.108
of this title (relating to Approval of Distance Education and Off-Campus
Instruction for Public Colleges and Universities) and in the (Notification
and Approval Procedures for Distance Education and Off-Campus Programs
and Courses and Guidelines for Institutional Plans for Distance Education
and Off-Campus Instruction located in Board policies).
(f)Off-campus educational units shall use locally
provided facilities, where possible. Except where specifically authorized
by the Legislature or the Board, nothing in these sections is to be
interpreted as permitting the acquisition by gift or purchase of real
property for the purpose of establishing or operating an off-campus
educational unit. The facilities of off-campus educational units shall
comply with Chapter 17 of this title, relating to Resource Planning.
(g)The following faculty-related provisions apply
to all off-campus educational units:
(1)The majority of faculty members at an off-campus
educational unit must, by some means, have significant involvement
with the parent institution.
(2)Faculty must comply with the provision of §4.277
of this title and related Board policies.
(3)Faculty must be hired and evaluated by the same
processes and with the same criteria as faculty performing similar
duties at the parent institution.
(4)The parent institution should not make a permanent
commitment to faculty exclusively working at a teaching site or center,
unless the faculty will be transferred to the parent institution should
their program be eliminated or consolidated.
(5)Programs offered by an off-campus educational unit's
own faculty should have enrollments sufficient to support efficient
operations.
(h)An off-campus educational unit is financially dependent
upon its parent institution(s) and supported within the budget of
the institution(s). It is not eligible to request separate legislative
funding. Institutions should not overcommit resources to a geographic
area before a sufficient and sustained level of demand is achieved.
Formula generated funds earned at an off-campus educational unit are
expected to be applied to financing its operation.
(i)The Commissioner shall establish policies concerning
how a location receives designation as a specific type of off-campus
educational unit and how to expand educational activities.
(j)Courses offered at off-campus educational units
must be reported separately and accurately in required Board reports.
Semester credit hours completed at the unit must be reported appropriately
by the parent institution(s) and shall be funded as determined by
the Legislature.
(k)An off-campus educational unit shall be headed
by an appropriate administrator whose title does not suggest that
the unit is an independent institution. The number of local administrators
and faculty shall be less than that at a free standing general academic
institution of comparable size. Additional administrative and academic
program support shall be provided by the parent institution(s) and
the system(s).
(l)A higher education center's name must be approved
by the Board, and may not be changed without prior Board approval.
Recognition of a higher education center may be withdrawn by the Board.
The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed
the adoption and found it to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal
authority.
Filed
with the Office
of the Secretary of State on May 5, 2015
TRD-201501568 Bill Franz
General Counsel
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Effective date: May 25, 2015
Proposal publication date: January 16, 2015
For further information, please call: (512) 427-6114
|