Decision-Making Structure

Purpose

Oversees policies and procedures that relate to curriculum, teaching, and learning issues.

Charges (reviewed annually)

• Review admissions and graduation standards.
• Develop/review policies and procedures.
• Approve curriculum changes.
• Monitor and address curriculum issues related to developmental education (below 100-level courses) and placement standards.
• Oversee promotion & tenure policies.
• Address course transfer issues.
• Address teaching and learning issues, including emerging technologies and external regulations.
• Address cross-divisional issues.
• Coordinate research on designated sections of Assurance Argument.
• Involve and communicate with stakeholders when appropriate.

Membership (reviewed annually)

Rotating (2-year terms):

• 4 CTE Full-Time Faculty
• 4 Transfer/Baccalaureate Full-Time Faculty
• 1 Dean
• 1 Adjunct Faculty
• 2 Students

Permanent:

• Transfer Coordinator
• Director, Admission and Registration
• Director, Institutional and Academic Planning
• Teaching and Learning Center Representative

Champion: Vice President, Academic Services

Faculty Chair/Co-Chair selected by members. Quorum is at least 7 members (at least 4 faculty).

Meets monthly August-May.

Key Initiatives

• Curriculum review and approval – Follows standard process for proposal by Dean and faculty of the program/discipline. Assures opportunity for discussion by members to address any impact on other programs and areas.
• Generative AI standards and inclusion in curriculum – The Gen AI Workgroup meets regularly to discuss emerging technology and standards for faculty. In partnership with the Teaching and Learning Center, the Workgroup offers professional development, training, and an open forum to share interests and concerns. In the Spring 2026 Semester, a Faulty Position on AI was approved by the faculty and ASC and routed to the College Council.
• Simple Syllabus monitoring – Assures consistence of syllabus content to meet standards for the Illinois Articulation Initiative and accrediting bodies. The ASC determines standard language and content for services and verifies the inclusion of Course Outcomes, Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes, and Program Learning Outcomes.

Purpose

To guide and hold the institution accountable in the integration of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility into all aspects of the work at Richland.

Charges (reviewed annually)

• Support and assess the implementation of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility strategies in the Strategic Plan, and make recommendations for improvement.
• Oversee the Equity Plan and Accessibility Plan, including outcomes tracking, analysis, and improvements.
• Develop and market DEIB/A initiatives and professional development for students, faculty, and staff, with clear outcomes and assessment.
• Focus on institutional policies & procedures to address DEIB/A issues and make recommendations when appropriate.
• Ensure the maintenance and dissemination of best practices for DEIB/A in institutional policies, teaching, training, hiring, and retention of students and employees.

Membership (reviewed annually)

Rotating (2-year term):

• 2 Full-time Faculty (any division)
• 2 Staff
• 1 Adjunct Faculty
• 1 Adult Ed Representative
• 1 Grants Office Representative
• 1 Workforce/EnRich Representative
• 1 Student
• 1 Dean

Permanent:

• Director of Wellness
• Accommodations Specialist
• Director of Culture, Connection, and Student Life
• TLC Representative
• Title IX Coordinator
• LRC Representative

Champion: Vice President, Student Services

Meets monthly August-May. Quorum is at least 9 members.

Key Initiatives and Subcommittees

• Accessibility Plan – Developed as a response to an ICCB Civil Rights assessment, the Accessibility Plan Subcommittee is charged with assuring that the Plan components are initiated. A new Accessibility Policy was approved by the Richland Board of Trustees (https://policy.richland.edu/en/policy/05/24).
• Equity Plan – Required by the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Equity Plan includes analysis of campus climate, equity gaps based on campus data, and an integrated holistic plan of research- or practice-informed policies, strategies, and practices to close equity gaps for underrepresented groups. The original plan was submitted in 2024 prior to the creation of the Equity Plan Subcommittee. Since then, the Subcommittee developed and submitted the required Implementation Summary in May 2026.
• Professional Development – The Professional Development Subcommittee was created in May 2026 to oversee professional development workshops and training on topics connected to DEIB/A. These workshops are offered through the Teaching and Learning Center and through other offices on campus.
• Programming – The Programming Subcommittee was created in 2026 to oversee programming for faculty, staff, and students. Initiatives include Neurodiversity Week (designed to recognize different neurodiverse populations), a book club (discussing fiction and nonfiction selections on diversity and inclusion), and a walking group.

Purpose

To review and recommend changes to policies, procedures, and processes related to retention, persistence, and completion.

Charges (reviewed annually)

• To focus on matters relating to student progress, student support programs, and instructional programs/initiatives designed to improve retention, persistence, and completion for all student populations.
• To identify and monitor equity gaps in retention, persistence, and completion, ensuring strategies are responsive to the needs of underserved and special populations, including first-generation students, GED completers, developmental education students, and others.
• To solicit and incorporate student feedback through surveys, focus groups, or other engagement tools to better understand barriers to student success and inform committee recommendations.
• To recommend, implement, and evaluate short- and long-term strategies to improve retention, persistence, and completion, as driven by the Retention, Persistence, and Completion (RPC) Plan and the Strategic Plan, and to track progress toward stated goals and metrics.
• To provide regular progress reports and annual updates on the RPC Plan and other initiatives to College Council and other stakeholders, ensuring transparency and accountability in Richland’s efforts to enhance student success.
• To regularly review and analyze student progress data (e.g., withdrawal data, early alert system data, completion data) disaggregated by key student groups, to assess the impact of institutional policies and practices on student outcomes.
• To benchmark institutional performance against peer institutions (using tools such as IPEDS, HLC Student Outcomes Project, and the National Community College Benchmark Project) to contextualize progress and inform continuous improvement.

Membership (reviewed annually)

Rotating (2-year term):

• 2 Transfer/Baccalaureate Full-Time Faculty
• 2 CTE Full-Time Faculty
• 2 Deans
• 1 ASC Representative
• 1 Success Coach
• 1 Institutional Effectiveness Representative
• 1 AIS Representative
• 1 Student
• Adult Education Transition Coordinator

Permanent:

• Executive Dean, Student Success
• Teaching and Learning Center Representative
• Director, Admission and Registration

Champion: Vice President, Student Services

Meets monthly August-May. Quorum – at least 8 voting members.

Key Initiatives

The Retention, Persistence, and Completion Plan is designed to address the comprehensive picture of retention in courses, persistence from semester to semester, and completion of students’ intended goals, whether a degree, certificate, or other professional/personal goals. The five Goals were identified in a summer “deep dive” to connect to the College’s 2024-2026 Strategic Plan Goal 2 and to recommendations from the Higher Learning Commission’s Comprehensive Review received in March 2024.

Subcommittees:

• New Student Orientation – Enhance accessibility to New Student Orientation while creating engaging, student-centered experiences. Ensure NSO supports student success by fostering a welcoming environment, increased awareness of campus resources, and strengthening connections to academic and support services.
• First-Year Experience – Expand access to STDEV 100 – Introduction to College Success by adding one course each fall, balancing virtual and in-person options, while focusing on developmental English students to boost retention, persistence, and completion and to track student progress.
• High DFW Course Completion – Improve student success rates in identified courses with historically high failure and withdrawal rates by implementing targeted interventions and support mechanisms that enhance student engagement, academic preparedness, and overall learning experiences.
• Special Populations Strategies – Increase retention, persistence, and completion metrics in the GED and Developmental English programs with an emphasis on producing college-ready students who enroll in credit-bearing courses at Richland.
• Withdrawal Processes – Clarify and streamline practices surrounding the existing Withdrawal Board Policy, ensuring that both students and faculty are fully informed about the current procedures.

Purpose

Oversees planning and implementation of student and institutional outcomes assessment to promote student learning.

Charges (reviewed annually)

• Oversee the Student Learning Assessment System.
• Identify training and faculty development.
• Align outcomes assessment activities with HLC Criteria and reaffirmation for accreditation process.
• Coordinate research on designated sections of Assurance Argument.
• Maintain and analyze curriculum maps and outcomes data.
• Maintain archive of student learning outcome artifacts & accompanying documentation
• Involve and communicate with stakeholders when appropriate.

Oversight Committee Membership (reviewed annually):

Rotating (2-year term):

• CDO Subcommittee Representative
• Program SLO Subcommittee Representative
• Cocurricular Subcommittee Representative
• 1 Full-Time Faculty (any division)
• 2 Student Success Representatives
• 1 Adjunct Faculty
• 1 Student

Permanent:

• TLC Representative
• Data Manager
• Dean, Mathematics and Sciences
• Dean, Student Success

Champion: Vice President, Academic Services

Meets monthly August-May. Faculty Co-chair chosen by members; quorum is at least 6 members.

Key Initiatives

• Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes – learning outcomes comprised of transferable skills, attitudes, and abilities to be mastered by all learners completing a degree or certificate at Richland. The current CDO’s – Oral Communication, Written Communication, Information Literacy, and Critical and Creative Thinking—are vital learning out outcomes that prepare students for life outside Richland Community College.
• Program Learning Outcomes – Each Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program and each academic discipline have identified learning outcomes that will be addressed in the scope of the coursework for the CTE programs and in courses in various academic/transfer disciplines. Faculty are also mapping each outcome onto their curriculum to understand where the introduction and mastery take place.
• Co-curricular Project – Standardizing the co-curricular process has been the focus of the Co-Curricular Subcommittee. The Subcommittee has developed a standard application, submission, and tracking process and creates a programming calendar each semester. Participants complete a survey or submit artifacts for analysis.
• Faculty training – SLOA, the Assessment Academy Team, and the Teaching and Learning Center share responsibilities for professional development. Sessions are held during Fall and Spring Convocations, training sessions throughout the semester, and a Professional Development Day scheduled in September. Topics include assessment practices, Universal Design for Learning, technology integration, and program outcomes.

Workgroups:

• Assessment Academy Team – In 2023 Richland was selected to participate in the HLC Assessment Academy. In this four-year program, Richland has focused on assessment projects that will strengthen faculty and staff understanding of assessment, clarify procedures for collection and analysis of artifacts, and ultimately improve student learning.