[(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.]
(a)[(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.
(b)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.
(c)The type and name of all off-campus
educational units, with the exception of higher education teaching
sites, must be approved by the Board. Approval of an off-campus educational
unit may be withdrawn by the Board.
(d)An off-campus educational unit
is financially dependent upon its parent institution(s) and is supported
by the budget of the institution(s). It is not eligible to request
separate legislative funding. Off-campus educational units should
use locally provided facilities, where possible.
(1)Degree programs offered at off-campus educational
units must be offered by and in the name of the parent institution(s).
(2)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to graduate before the resource is withdrawn or to make other reasonable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.
(3)The Board must be notified of programs offered
or discontinued at off-campus educational units. The Board shall maintain
a list of these degree programs and make that list readily available
to the public.
(4)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.
(5)The facilities of off-campus educational units
shall comply with Chapter 17 of this title, relating to Resource Planning.
(e)[(c)] Off-campus educational
units are not intended to duplicate the full array and types of offerings
available at regular general academic campuses. Their specific
purpose is to [The intent is to]:
(1)Focus on teaching and on delivery of high demand
courses and programs for academic credit from the parent institution(s)
and/or for health professions' medical training. 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, subchapter Q [4.101 - 4.108]
of this title, relating to Approval of Off-Campus and Self-Supporting
Courses and Programs for Public Institutions [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.]
(f)[(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 or discontinued 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.]
(g)[(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 Approval of Distance Education, including Off-Campus Courses
and Programs located in Board policies [(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)].
(h)[(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.]
(i)[(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).]
(j)[(l)]Approval [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 proposal and found it to be within the state agency's
legal authority to adopt.
Filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State on August 1, 2016
TRD-201603793 Bill Franz
General Counsel
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Earliest possible date of adoption: September 11, 2016
For further information, please call: (512) 427-6114
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