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July 13, 2006 - Notes
Members in attendance: Ruth Barrington, Philomena Fayanjuola, Dorcas Haller, Barbara Legg, Dennis Moore, Michelle O'Brien, Carol Panancione and JoAnn Warren
Guest: Ms. Nancy Carriuolo, Office of Higher Education
Special Meeting - This special meeting was called to address the recommendations from the Office of Higher Education. Suggestions were reviewed, discussed and resulted in a modification of the statement.
Nancy Carriuolo, representing OHE and the RIBGHE, did attend our meeting and participated in our discussions. She reminded all of us that a "negotiation" is often undertaken when considering matters such as this:
In responding to OHE's original recommendations, two key concerns emerged from members of the committee: deleting the word "open" and adding "ability to benefit".
Many members of the committee expressed concern that the committee may be over stepping its boundaries with these changes. We were reassured however, that these changes simply established parameters, and was not necessarily excluding any individual or groups of individuals.
After listening closely to the concerns of the committee Ms. Carriuolo recommended that we leave "open" in the statement and change "ability to benefit" to "ability and motivation to succeed". Members present seemed to think this was something we could all could live with as motivation is key to student success. However, as CCRI does seem to be moving in the direction of establishing minimal qualifications (Placement Testing, establishing Pre-requisites, offering developmental level courses) CCRI in the near future may need a college-wide discussion on what "open" means.
The addition of "recent high school graduates and returning adults" helps us to more clearly define our primary students. This clarification was recommended by the consultant hired by OHE to better meet NEASC Standards. Identifying “who we serve” assists the administration in decisions related to budgets, priorities, activities etc. It does not mean we can't serve others just that our primary students are "recent high school graduates and returning adults". It was the consensus of members present that this addition better met the NEASC standard.
The addition of …standards “necessary for transfer and career success" helps us to define our offerings and what we do.
It was the consensus of members present that the following statement will be forwarded to the President with the recommendation that we release the statement to the Accreditation Review Team and the college community. At this time, we do not feel that "input" is required as the statement as revised below has not significantly changed, but better reflects NEASC standards.
Revised Mission Statement - 7/13/06
The Community College of Rhode Island is the state's only public comprehensive associate degree-granting institution. We provide affordable open access to higher education at locations throughout the state. Our primary mission is to offer recent high school graduates and returning adults the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for intellectual, professional, and personal growth through an array of academic, career and lifelong learning programs. We meet the wide-ranging educational needs of our diverse student population, building on our rich tradition of excellence in teaching and our dedication to all students with the ability and motivation to succeed. We set high academic standards necessary for transfer and career success, champion diversity, respond to community needs, and contribute to our state's economic development and the region's workforce.
