Academic Affairs

02:19:06 Faculty Credentialing

1. The purpose of this policy is to establish the process for determining acceptable qualifications of faculty necessary to accomplish the mission and goals of the College.
2. Definitions:
   1. Official transcript - A transcript prepared and sealed by the issuing institution on its official letterhead with an original signature of an institution official or an electronic transcript sent by the issuing institution with an original signature of an institution official. Official transcripts may also be prepared, sealed, and delivered by a verified transcript service.
   2. Faculty Qualifications Manual - A manual developed by Academic Affairs that establishes “standard criteria” meeting the accreditation principles of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) that will qualify potential instructors to teach each Chattanooga State Community College course.
3. Before Employment
   1. Prior to being employed, all teaching applicants will provide their expected supervisor with unofficial transcripts, a curriculum vitae or resume, licenses or certifications (if applicable), additional education and work experiences (if applicable), and unique experience and demonstrated competence that have been substituted for advanced academic preparation (if applicable).
   2. The expected supervisor will compare the applicant’s qualifications against the Faculty Qualifications Manual (FQM) to determine if the applicant is qualified to teach the courses for which they are applying to teach. The expected supervisor will make their recommendation to the academic dean who is responsible for approving academic qualifications prior to hiring.
4. Faculty Responsibilities After Employment
   1. Once hired, faculty are responsible for providing official transcripts to the division in which they are hired as soon as possible. If the documents are not received during the semester in which the faculty start working, they will not be allowed to continue working in any subsequent semesters until the documents have been received and approved.
   2. Should faculty be hired using an alternative justification, they are responsible for providing all official documents needed to prove credentialing as soon as possible.  If the documents are not received during the semester in which the faculty start working, they will not be allowed to continue working in any subsequent semesters until the documents have been received and approved.
   3. Faculty who hold a qualifying degree outside the United States are responsible for providing an original transcript evaluation showing verification of academic preparation from a reputable source and providing divisions with an original transcript or a notarized copy of their transcript as soon as possible.  If the documents are not received during the semester in which the faculty start working, they will not be allowed to continue working in any subsequent semesters until the documents have been received and approved.
5. Academic Deans Responsibilities After Employment
   1. Once all appropriate documents have been received by the academic deans, they will review the documents and recommendation and complete the Credential Evaluation Form.  The form will confirm that all faculty teaching in their division meet the requirements of their positions and the SACSCOC faculty credentialing guidelines for each of the courses the faculty member may be assigned.  The deans will forward the form with the appropriate documents to the Academic Affairs Faculty Credential Screening Committee.  The committee will review all documents and either forward them to the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) for approval during the first semester of the faculty hiring or return them to the academic divisions for modification.
   2. In instances when these documents do not meet the standard credentialing requirements, additional documentation may be needed to support the production of an alternative justification. The deans must draft an alternative justification and follow the process outlined above.
   3. Once the VPAA has approved the faculty for teaching, all documents will be returned to the academic division and scanned and uploaded into the College’s online faculty credential directory.
   4. The academic dean is responsible for ensuring that for faculty teaching TNeCampus classes the Credential Evaluation Form, scanned original transcripts, and resume, are downloaded into the TNeCampus Faculty Credentialing System during the first semester of the faculty hiring. 
   5. Once the approval process has been completed, all documents will be forwarded to Human Resources and placed in the faculty member’s personnel file.  Each division should also maintain unofficial copies of each faculty member’s credentialing documents.
   6. The academic deans are responsible for ensuring that the FQM is accurate and kept updated for their division.  In order to ensure the FQM is accurate and updated, the office of the VPAA will annually request updates to the FQM from the academic deans.    
6. Vice President for Academic Affairs Responsibilities After Employment
   1. The VPAA is responsible for communicating to deans and faculty the most current SACSCOC requirements as they may apply to specific programs, and the process for properly documenting the credentials of new faculty.
   2. The VPAA is responsible for monitoring this process by reviewing and approving new faculty hires that include a list of their academic credentials and classes they are assigned to teach and providing final approval for new faculty hired by alternative justification.
   3. The VPAA approves the Faculty Credential Manual and annually assures that it is accurate and updated.

Policy approved by Chattanooga State Policy Review Board on April 11, 2018

Revision submitted to the Policy Review Committee on September 28, 2020

Revision submitted to the Policy Review Board on October 30, 2020

Revision approved by the Policy Review Board on November 17, 2020