The Board of Trustees is committed to ensuring that the College offers programs leading to an Associate in Arts,
Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as certificates. To qualify for a degree,
students must meet the minimum requirements set forth by the New York State Education Law and meet the
minimum CGPA requirements.

The Board of Trustees directs the President to develop such procedures as to fairly implement this policy.

Amended: May 11, 2022

Degree Offerings and Requirements

The College’s core curriculum will meet all State University of New York guidelines and requirements, and
follow a common set of values and framework that define and assess program learning outcomes. In order to
comply with the SUNY academic mission, the College is committed to developing, adopting, and administering
those academic methods and procedures deemed to be the most effective in promoting efficiency of operations
and that are most appropriate to the advancement of learning.

The Board of Trustees directs the President to develop such procedures as to fairly implement this policy.

Amended: May 11, 2022

Core Curriculum

The College will provide educational opportunities sufficient to meet the needs of the citizens of Orange County and the state of New York. The State University of New York recognizes two categories of external offerings: off-campus credit and non-credit instruction, and distance education. Off-campus instruction is defined as traditional face-to-face classroom instruction that occurs at a location away from the home premises of the institution. Distance education is defined as a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction occurs when student and instructor are not in the same place and the instruction is delivered using technology.

The Board of Trustees directs the President to develop such procedures as to fairly implement this policy.

Instruction Offered Externally

The College shall provide for and encourage participation in off-campus learning experiences, including study
abroad opportunities, field trips and other non-classroom activities, which may include student government, clubs,
organizations, intramural sports, intercollegiate sports, and attendance at cultural events within the limitations of
the resources available. No such activities shall take place without prior written consent of the President or the
President’s designee. The President, or appropriate designee, will approve off-campus learning experiences,
including those outside of the United States, provided that the learning experience is consistent with the academic
mission of the College and meets all criteria established by the College.

The Board of Trustees directs the President to develop such procedures as to fairly implement this policy.

Amended: May 11, 2022

Off-Campus Learning Experiences

The Board of Trustees shall rely upon the President to recommend the approval, deactivation and termination of academic programs based upon guidelines stipulated by the State University of New York and the State Department of Education.

Approval, Deactivation and Termination of Academic Programs

The Board of Trustees directs the President to ensure that the College maintains its accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and other appropriate accreditation agencies.

The Board authorizes the President to seek, as appropriate, accreditation for individual academic degree programs from appropriate specialized accreditation agencies. Such accreditation may be mandatory or voluntary based upon the degree program. Where considered mandatory, accreditation must be maintained for continued program operation. The Board encourages the President to consider accreditation of programs where accreditation is considered voluntary. Accrediting agencies that are not considered as mandatory are considered voluntary and the Board authorizes the President to evaluate the importance of those accreditations for students in those programs.

The President will inform the Board of Trustees of all initial accreditation initiatives. The Board will be made aware of all programs that seek, receive, and maintain mandatory and voluntary accreditation.
The President must obtain Board of Trustees approval to withdraw a program from required or voluntary accreditation.

Amended: Jan. 20, 2016

Accreditation

The Board of Trustees shall approve, upon the recommendation of the President, appointment to the Corps of Instruction that includes full-time professors, associate professors, assistant professors, instructors, library staff and learning support personnel.

Faculty Membership

Orange County Community College will grant promotions and tenure to approved faculty, based upon guidelines
established by the President or appropriate designee. The Board of Trustees will consider and vote to approve or
reject recommendations for promotion and tenure from the President.

The Board of Trustees directs the President to develop such procedures as to fairly implement this policy.

Amended: May 11, 2022

Promotion and Tenure

The Board of Trustees may award the honorific “Faculty Emeritus” or “Faculty Emerita” to any retiring full-time
faculty member who meets the following criteria: served at least 15 years in a faculty position; attained the
minimum rank of associate professor; exhibited a sustained reputation for excellence in teaching; served an
academic department in a distinguished manner; contributed to the betterment of the community at large; and significantly advanced the priorities of the College.

Special privileges, as established by the College, will be granted to those retiring faculty members awarded
emeritus or emerita status.

The Board of Trustees directs the President to develop such procedures as to fairly implement this policy.

Amended: May 11, 2022

Emeritus Status

The College encourages and supports faculty members to develop and conduct scholarly research. The College is also committed to protecting the rights and privacy of all who participate as subjects in research conducted under the auspices of the College and to ensuring that such subjects are aware of the rights and protections available to them. For this reason, the President shall establish an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for ethical and regulatory oversight of all proposed research at the College which could involve the use of human subjects. Any faculty member who desires to conduct research, or will assign classroom projects to be completed by students, involving human subjects must obtain prior approval by the College’s IRB and the Vice President for Academic Affairs before research may begin and before any grants to support such research may be submitted. All such research shall be guided by the College’s mission, vision and values.

The Board of Trustees directs the President to develop such procedures as to fairly implement this policy.

Adopted: March 14, 2011

Use of Human Participants in Research

In accordance with the United States Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), Public Law 110-315, Orange County Community College has established procedures to ensure that a student who registers in an online course is the same student who participates in and completes the program, and receives academic credit for the courses. Students are required to use a secure login and password to participate in online courses.

The Board of Trustees directs the President to develop such procedures as to fairly implement this policy.

Adopted: April 18, 2018
Amended: May 15, 2024

Online Student Verification