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GOVERNANCE |
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OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT |
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ABOUT HARFORD |
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College Profile
FOCUS
The College seeks to promote an environment where employees through a
sense of shared responsibility accept an organic approach characterized
by openness, trust, and support which encourages all to assume both a
proprietary and an entrepreneurial approach to work. This approach is
grounded in the belief that individuals are not motivated primarily nor
solely by compensation and benefits but find value and job satisfaction
in an environment where they can contribute, where they can do good
work, and where their work can be shown to have meaning within the
context of the greater whole. It is also centered on the concept that,
as servants, individuals are at their best when they are creative,
responsible, and dedicated to justice, fairness, and sharing relative to
each other within a mutually supportive and organic whole.
The College strives to make a positive difference in people's lives and to
create synergy through accessible and excellent educational programs and
services by:
- providing excellent teaching and support services (such as
academic advice, career counseling, and financial aid) and related other areas.
- reaching out to people who have limited income or who encounter
other barriers to academic success.
- enabling people to progress in their academic and career pursuits.
- working in partnership with the communities the College serves.
In meeting the educational needs of the citizens of Maryland for the
21st century, HCC attempts, with all other higher education institutions
of Maryland, to embody the following characteristics:
- provide a supportive campus climate, necessary services, and
leadership and development opportunities, all to educate the whole
person and meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff.
- effect cultural, ethnic, racial, and gender diversity in the
faculty, staff and student body, supported by practices and programs
intended primarily for adult learners that embody the idea of an
open, participatory, and global society.
- use technology to advance educational purposes, including
instructional technology, student support services, and distance
education.
- establish collaborative relationships with other state
institutions, state agencies, local schools and technical
institutes, and business and industry, sharing physical, human,
information and other resources to expand and enhance programs and
services available to the citizens of Maryland.
- embrace teaching and learning as our central purpose.
- recognize and develop the primary role and responsibility of the
student in the educational process.
- make every effort to help learners achieve success.
- respect differences in people and in perspectives.
- plan and work together with respect, trust, and honesty within
the College and among and between the communities we serve.
- seek the best possible ways to conduct the College's work with
prudent use of available resources including the synergistic use of
human resources.
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EXPECTATIONS
HCC supports full commitments to (1) address the four-fold elements
of the comprehensive community college, (2) address the recommendations
of the Middle States accreditation report, (3) expect the campus
community to share the accountability for excellence in learning in all
areas of academic instruction and services, and (4) comply fully with
Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) regulations. We will:
- effect leadership at all levels of the campus community that is
(1) future oriented, (2) that applies fairness and integrity to
decisions, (3) and that promotes a learning-centered student focus
with equitable services, nontraditional delivery systems and program
schedules for all students.
- foster and enhance a climate of mutual respect, civil discourse,
and intellectual inquiry that regards collaboration, supports
diversity and encourages global awareness.
- seek opportunity for internal constituents to offer creative
solutions and/or innovative alternatives for programs and services;
and to strive to effect relationships with other educational
institutions, business and government organizations, and community
agency/entities that are in the best interest of current and future
HCC students.
HCC will be recognized as an exemplary learning and teaching community that
fosters service and promotes success for students in undergraduate,
lower-division education. The College will be a valued resource and leader in
academic quality, cultural enrichment, and economic development characterized by
continuous improvement, innovation, and community development. To fulfill the
mission and vision, HCC is strongly committed to diversity, integrity, academic
excellence, and achievement of individual and institutional goals. The College
administration, faculty and staff are dedicated to building trust, respect and
confidence among our colleagues, students and community members.
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EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
To meet the educational needs of the community, Harford Community
College offers programs with six specific additional functions: general
education, college or university transfer programs, career education,
continuing education/community service, transitional studies/developmental education,
and student development and enrollment services.
The general education program provides all students with the writing,
speaking, reading, thinking, and computing skills and knowledge to function as
educated citizens in a complex world.
College and university transfer programs prepare students for further
learning by providing courses in specific disciplines and general education that
parallel the first two years at a senior college.
The career education program prepares students for immediate employment in
technical and business fields and allows students to continue studies at
four-year institutions and universities.
The program of continuing education/community service provides noncredit
courses and activities which allow individuals to upgrade their abilities,
prepare for state licensure, retrain for new occupations, enrich cultural
backgrounds, and develop specialized interests. It also focuses on selected
community problems and provides contract training for government, business and industry.
The Transitional Studies program helps developmental students to overcome
identified weaknesses in basic skills and self-direction which provide a
necessary foundation for success in college.
Student development and enrollment services provide students with a variety
of resources, including but not limited to academic advising, skills assessment,
financial aid, counseling and career development, cooperative education, job
placement, individual and group tutoring, disability services, student
activities, recreation and intercollegiate athletics.
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HIGHER EDUCATION AND CONFERENCE CENTER
The Higher Education & Conference Center at HEAT, located in
Aberdeen, Maryland, at the juncture of Interstate 95 and Rt. 22,
provides expanded higher education access to the citizens of
northeastern Maryland. Baccalaureate and graduate programs are offered
by colleges and universities in support of the educational needs of the region.
Harford Community College coordinates the academic programs and
maintains the facility. Partnering institutions provide the faculty and
establish the requirements of their individual programs. Each
institution sets its own tuition rate. Students enroll directly with the
partnering institutions that collect all tuition and fees and confer all
degrees. The Higher Education and Conference Center includes the
College of Notre Dame, The Johns Hopkins University, Towson University,
University of Maryland at College Park, and the University of Phoenix.
Training is offered at the Higher Education and Conference Center for
businesses, industries, and local governments through the
Continuing Education and
Training Division at Harford Community College.
Rooms are available for rent to business, industry and government
organizations. The professional and comfortable atmosphere is ideal for
a business, industry and government organization to hold off-site
meetings, training or small conferences. Leased incubator space is offered at the for technology base start-up
organizations. The Higher Education & Conference Center at HEAT is a
member of the Maryland
Business Incubator Association.
Call the HEAT Education and Conference Center, 443-360-9200, for additional information.
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INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Harford Community College is engaged in international and
globalization initiatives designed to appreciate the world economic and
social order and address attitudes and beliefs through contact with
individuals of different cultures and backgrounds. International
relationships foster cultural sensitivity, appreciation of different
values and systems, attitudes and behavior, and provide insight into
global interconnectedness that are essential to life and work success.
Further, computer-mediated communication increasingly bridges distances
and differences and challenges college graduates to compete globally.
Research shows that students are responsive to international education
and that communities benefit greatly. The Institute of International
Education, through its Open Doors 2000 Report, states that the number of
U.S. students studying abroad (129,770) is an increase of 45% over four
years. Additionally, international education contributes more than $12.3
billion annually to the U.S. economy through tuition and cost-of-living
expenses.
Harford Community College's goals are to create an international network of
staff, faculty, students and institutions with interests in the exchange of
ideas within a transcultural learning community. As the College remains aware of
and responsive to local needs, it does so knowing that all will benefit from the
perspectives gained through transcultural experiences in higher education in an
increasingly interdependent world.
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CULTURAL PLURALISM
Harford Community College expects to sustain an atmosphere of cultural
pluralism where individuals and groups can maintain a sense of cultural identity
while supporting a strong, integrated campus community. The College considers
multiculturalism as a process rather than an event. The campus community
accepts, appreciates and actively unifies diversity into the cultural quilt that
makes up world society.
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CAMPUS CLIMATE
The College is committed to a work and learning environment that is
respectful, courteous and free of discrimination and unlawful harassment. Equal
employment and advancement opportunities at the College will be based on merit
qualifications and abilities.
The College is committed to maintaining an environment in which the free
exchange of ideas is encouraged, equal opportunity to speak is protected,
academic freedom is ensured, and the individual is accorded respect. While the
College is committed to upholding each individual's freedom of speech, it is
also committed to protecting the individual from speech which causes harm to any
member of the College community and which has no value as an expression of ideas.
To ensure a work and study place free of discrimination and harassment,
periodic workshops and meetings are scheduled with faculty, staff and students.
These workshops and meetings provide opportunities to engage in study sessions
and collegial dialogue regarding human relations, public laws and College
policy, and to address concerns appropriate to the campus environment.
Additionally, students should be familiar with the College's Code for Student
Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct, published in the Student Handbook.
STATEMENT ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND DIVERSITY
ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
MAY 25, 1995
- Diversity serves an important educational function. One of higher
education's essential functions is to broaden the perspectives of
students by exposing them to individuals from different backgrounds
and to a variety of disciplines, cultures and points of view. Given
the enormous changes taking place in our nation and the world, no
person in the 21st century will be considered to have a quality
education without such exposure
- Diversity in higher education helps prepare students for the
world of work and for participation in a democratic society.
Employers in all sectors of the economy increasingly see diversity
as critical to organizational success and competitiveness, and
expect higher education to prepare students for a work environment
characterized by diversity. They recognize that a diverse work force
is a better, more productive work force - which is as true in higher
education as it is in other sectors. In addition, as the economy
increasingly demands higher levels of education for employment and
advancement, the nation cannot hope to achieve true equality of
opportunity unless it attains diversity among college students.
- Affirmative action helps guarantee equal employment opportunity
in colleges and universities and enhances quality in higher
education. As with other major employers, affirmative action has
proved to be a useful tool to colleges and universities in ensuring
compliance with fair employment practices and redressing past
discrimination. A diverse faculty and staff is essential for
colleges and universities to provide quality in teaching,
scholarship and service to the campus and the community.
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PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS
All students are expected to exhibit and to practice professional behavior
when participating in class, when observing or attending field experiences,
internships, athletic and cultural events, co-op assignments, or any other
related College endeavor. Such behavior includes but is not limited to speech,
dress, oral and written remarks/statements and general conduct, per rules and
regulations of the campus or off-campus site. Students’ behavior reflects on
Harford, and it is expected that all students will conduct themselves in a
manner and style to bring honor to the College. Unprofessional behavior on or
off campus will result in disciplinary action which may result in suspension,
failure of a course regardless of grades earned, and/or dismissal.
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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INQUIRY
Because the community college bears the responsibility for creating,
nurturing and maintaining an environment conducive to the free exchange of
ideas, and because the way in which a college deals with controversy in art,
theater, speech, and/or with exhibits, presentations, lectures and/or
performances reveals the relative status of the fine and performing arts, the
sciences, humanities and related fields of academic inquiry within the college,
and the attitude of the neighboring community toward the role of the college as
a forum for public discourse (Lyons, 1991), HCC will provide a forum for public
dialogue when controversy erupts over an exhibition, performance or presentation
of material intrinsic to higher education learning.
The public should be encouraged to think of the College as a laboratory in
which varying intellectual and cultural perspectives can interact. The College
will strive to foster an environment for critical dialogue concerning the above
while maintaining an open relationship to the different cultural, intellectual,
and religious values characteristic of our pluralistic society. When learning is
permitted to function in this way, it can best serve the mission of the College
and the community at large (Lyons, 1991); further, campus leaders can best
protect the freedom of expression for all constituencies by siding with none.
If an exhibition (or other activity) becomes the focus of public controversy,
the most appropriate response an academic institution can take is not to censor
or attach disclaimers but to provide a forum for public dialogue about the
exhibition/activity. When the argument is asserted regarding public funding for
artistic or related presentations and performances, it does not diminish (and
indeed may heighten) the responsibility of the college community to ensure
academic freedom and of the public to respect the integrity of academic
institutions (Fanton, 1990).
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NONDISCRIMINATION
Harford Community College as an institution of higher learning
believes in equal opportunity in education and actively encourages the
enrollment and employment of all interested persons, regardless of race,
color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age (for
students age 16+), disability, or any other characteristic protected by
law or policies and practices of HCC. The College's commitment to equal
opportunity also extends to include participation in academic, social,
cultural, and athletic activities and events. The College is totally
committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment, job
assignment, promotion, and provision of employee benefits.
While every student, employee and visitor retains the right to file an
external complaint when he or she believes unfair practices occurred, Harford
Community College provides an internal procedure for addressing such grievances.
Students who have been subjected to discriminatory actions as part of the
educational process may discuss it with (1) the appropriate division
dean, if desired; (2) the Vice President for Student Development &
Institutional Effectiveness at 443-412-2233; (3) the Director for Human Resources at 443-412-2129.
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SEXUAL HARASSMENT STATEMENT
Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests
for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct or communication
of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of unreasonably
interfering with an individual's academic or work performance, or which
creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive learning or working
environment. Such conduct is illegal and will not be tolerated at
Harford Community College. The College will promptly investigate
complaints of sexual harassment and, when necessary, will institute
disciplinary proceedings against the offending individual.
Students who believe they have been subjected to sexual harassment as part of
the educational process may discuss it with (1) the appropriate academic
division chairperson, if desired; ((2) the Vice President for Student Development &
Institutional Effectiveness at 443-412-2233; (3) the Director for Human Resources at
443-412-2129. Problems of this nature will be treated in as confidential a manner as possible.
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CAMPUS SMOKING POLICY
In the interest of the health and
safety for our students and employees, Harford Community College has adopted
a "no smoking" policy for the campus. The use of any type of
tobacco product is prohibited in all buildings and areas of the campus and
off-campus sites supervised by the college. Smoking cessation programs are available. Contact 443-412-2140 for
information.
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ANIMALS ON CAMPUS
The College restricts animals from all campus buildings, offices,
laboratories and open spaces. No animals, except assist animals and
those used as bona fide instructional aids, should be on the premises,
tethered outside or left to wander the grounds at any time (day, evening
or weekends).
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DRUG AND ALCOHOL POLICY
Compliance Statement
Since 1990, in compliance with the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988, the
Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986 and 1989, and the State of
Maryland Executive Order 01.01,1989 – Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace,
HCC's "Drug-Free Workplace Policy," and the "Drug Use and Alcohol Abuse
Prevention Policy," and a "Drug-Free Campus Guide" are available to all
from the College Life and Wellness Office.
Standards of Conduct
All faculty, staff and student employees are expected to report to
work free of the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs, and refrain from
the use of alcohol or illicit drugs during the performance of their
work. All faculty, staff and student employees are required to notify
the appropriate senior College official of any criminal conviction
related to his or her own drug activity in the workplace within 5 days
of the conviction. If the individual is supported by a federal grant or
contract, the College will notify the supporting government agency
within 10 days after receiving notice.
The sale, distribution, use or possession of illegal drugs is a violation of
federal and state laws and is prohibited at all times. Violators will be subject
to arrest and prosecution. In addition, students, faculty and staff who are
convicted of violating the law by selling, distributing, using or possessing
illegal drugs on College property, or while on College business, will be subject
to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion and / or termination. The
standard penalty for drug distribution or sale will be expulsion or termination,
while penalties for use or possession may include drug education and referral to
the Harford County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Center or other treatment programs in
lieu of dismissal or termination.
Employees on physician-prescribed medication should notify a designated
College official if there is likelihood that such medication could affect job
performance or safety.
Harford Community College prohibits the possession, consumption, sale and
serving of alcoholic beverages to or by students at on- or off-campus
activities. Student Activities funds may not be used to purchase any alcoholic
beverages.
Public events sponsored by any department, faculty or staff at which alcohol
will be served require approval from the Vice President for Finance, Operations
and Government Relations. The serving of beer and/or wine at these events is
subject to county, state and federal regulations.
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Student Life @ HCC
