The Academic Policies and Standards Handbook records academic policies and standards that inform operational academic practices at Portland Community College.

The Handbook is divided into discrete, thematic sections. Each section’s format begins with a list of key identifier information, as shown above and described further below.

The Dean of Academic Affairs shall coordinate an annual review of each section of the Handbook for accuracy and currency; sections that contain inaccuracies shall be updated (if the changes are minor) or forwarded to the appropriate committee(s) or unit(s) for revision.

Any entity in the college may request that a section be reviewed for currency and accuracy, or may propose section revisions. These requests are forwarded to the Dean of Academic Affairs, who will forward the request to the appropriate committee(s) or unit(s) for review.

New sections may be requested by any entity in the college. The request will be made to the Dean of Academic Affairs, who, in consultation with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean of Enrollment Strategy & Services, and EAC Leaders, will develop the initial roster of required reviewers, and monitor the process of review and approval.

Proposed changes to college publications (such as the catalog) that are derived from a handbook section shall be attended by revision of the relevant handbook section. For sections in which the language in the handbook and the catalog is identical (such as the requirements for degrees and certificates), the handbook section should be approved as the source of the catalog text, so that the language in the handbook and the catalog remains identical.

Key Identifier Information:

Each section will begin with a list of key information about the section as follows:

Policy/Standard Name: A concise descriptor of the policy or standard.

Policy/Standard Identifier: One alpha character followed by three numerals. Note: Appendices that are included in the Handbook are publications that are related to sections, but are not statements of policy and standards. In general they record operational practice or guidelines that are relevant to sections of the Handbook (e.g., Appendix A, External Academic Advisory Committee Guidelines, are the published operational procedures which are derived from the Policy and Standard section A108 on Advisory Committees).

Authority: External or internal rules, regulations, policies, agencies, or entities that define or dictate elements of the section. A section may have more than one source of authority. Examples include (but are not limited to): Board Policies, College Policies, Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs), Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) standards, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Oregon Joint Boards Articulation Commission (JBAC).

Unit responsible for review and update: Committees or positions that are required to review and recommend the section. Each recommending group assumes responsibility to consult with relevant stakeholders as appropriate. The list is assumed to be sequential but groups listed within brackets may review in any order, or simultaneously.

Approval: Identifies the position within the college giving final approval to revisions or new sections. For most sections this is the District President.

Responsibility: Identifies the position within the college ultimately responsible for the proper execution of these policies and standards. For most sections, this is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and/or the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Date of Final Approval: Typically, the date that the most current version was signed by the District President.

Effective Date: Identifies the date on which the most current version took (or takes) effect. The relationship between the approval date and the implementation date depends on the nature of the section. In general, the section will become active on the first day of the term following approval but some sections may be implemented as soon as approval is secured, and others will be later.

Prior Versions: The URL and link to the web page from which all prior sections of the section may be accessed.

Other Considerations

Format: The Handbook shall be published in a format that is consistent and accessible. The sections are to be posted online and printable as PDF documents.

Links: Extensive links are not recommended in Handbook sections, and should be included judiciously, because changes in the targeted sites may result in broken links that go undetected or unreported for long periods of time, and may be difficult to restore. If links are necessary, it is recommended the stability of the targeted site be considered carefully. The name of the document will be presented as a hyperlink, and the URL provided parenthetically as text.

Policy/Standard Name: Preamble to the Academic Policies and Standards Handbook
Policy/Standard Identifier: A100
Authority: N/A
Units responsible for review and update: Dean of Academic Affairs, Educational Advisory Council
Approval: College President
Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President for Student Affairs 
Date of Final Approval: June 2012
Effective Term: June 2012
Prior Versions: None