HLC Criterion Two Primer Tuesday Sept. 8, 2015

Criterion Two. Integrity: Ethical and Responsible Conduct The institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible

Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

Core Components

2.A. The institution operates with integrity in its financial, academic, personnel, and auxiliary functions; it establishes and follows fair and ethical policies and processes for its governing board, administration, faculty, and staff.

2.B. The institution presents itself clearly and completely to its students and to the public with regard to its programs, requirements, faculty and staff, costs to students, control, and accreditation relationships.

2.C. The governing board of the institution is sufficiently autonomous to make decisions in the best interest of the institution and to assure its integrity.

The governing board ’ s deliberations reflect priorities to preserve and enhance the institution.

The governing board reviews and considers the reasonable and relevant interests of the institution ’ s internal and external constituencies during its decision-making deliberations.

The governing board preserves its independence from undue influence on the part of donors, elected officials, ownership interests, or other external parties when such influence would not be in the best interest of the institution.

The governing board delegates day-to-day management of the institution to the administration and expects the faculty to oversee academic matters.

2.D. The institution is committed to freedom of expression and the pursuit of truth in teaching and learning.

2.E. The institution ensures that faculty, students, and staff acquire, discover, and apply knowledge responsibly.

The institution provides effective oversight and support services to ensure the integrity of research and scholarly practice conducted by its faculty, staff, and students.

Students are offered guidance in the ethical use of information resources.

The institution has and enforces policies on academic honesty and integrity.

4P7 HLC Core Component 2.A The institution operates with integrity in its financial, academic, personnel, and auxiliary functions; it establishes and follows fair and ethical policies and processes for its governing board, administration, faculty, and staff. Adequate but could be improved o Policies for the Corporate Board and for the board of Trustees are outlined in the Policies and Procedures Manual. o Donnelly College demonstrated that it has appropriate checks and balances in place to assure that important administrative operations, financial transaction and academic processes receive multiple reviews and approvals before finalized. o As required by federal regulations, there is a separation of duties and functions between the Business Office and the Financial Aid Office. o Donnelly College states, in the portfolio, that ethical people are hired but there is no process to insure that this is so. It may be to the College’s benefit to add references and segments of the Policy and Procedure Manual to the portfolio, providing concrete evidence regarding compliance with the Core Component.

1P6. HLC Core Component 2.B. The institution presents itself clearly and completely to its students and to the public with regard to its programs, requirements, faculty and staff, costs to students, control, and accreditation relationships. Adequate but could be improved

Information about programs, requirements, faculty and staff, control, and accreditation relationship are documented in the Catalog, website, and in recruitment materials. Donnelly uses a scaffold and developmental approach to ensure students understand this information; for example, Student Services staff reinforce this information during the recruitment process. While the Net Price Calculator is present on the website, Donnelly needs to delineate cost or explain in the portfolio why cost of tuition, fees, etc. was not indicated on the website or public materials.

5P2. HLC Core Component 2.C. The governing board of the institution is sufficiently autonomous to make decisions in the best interest of the institution and to assure its integrity. Unclear and Incomplete

The Board of Trustees represents diversity in the community via its connections to business, industry and the Catholic Church. The Board of Trustees delegates to the President day to day operations. Donnelly College does not provide evidence in the portfolio to indicate that the College Governing Board is sufficiently autonomous in their decision making from the Archdiocese and Benedictine order to which it is closely affiliated.

1P11. HLC Core Component 2.D The institution is committed to freedom of expression and the pursuit of truth in teaching and learning. Adequate but could be improved

The College accepts the 1940 definition of academic freedom from AAUP and AAC. It is not clear how/where this is communicated to faculty. Professional development plans are used by full time faculty to improve teaching and learning in their fields. It is not clear how these professional development plans relate to freedom of expression and the pursuit of truth in teaching and learning. Interdepartmental meetings are also used to discuss related issues and student learning outcomes.

1P11 & 4P7. HLC Core Component 2.E. The institution ensures that faculty, students, and staff acquire, discover, and apply knowledge responsibly. Adequate but could be improved o The College’s expectations for academic honesty are expressed in the Faculty and Staff Handbook and in the Student Code of Conduct. o Academic honesty is included under the General Education Outcomes. o The College is encouraged to incorporate more into the portfolio in regard to this Core Component such as Peer to Peer File Transfer which was found on the website.

The College’s expectations for academic honesty are expressed in the Faculty and Staff Handbook and in the Student Code of Conduct. Academic honesty is included under the General Education Outcomes. The College is encouraged to incorporate more into the portfolio in regard to this Core Component such as Peer to Peer File Transfer which was found on the website.