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Cause and Effect

In the summer of 2002, many of the veteran faculty members at North Lake College were preparing their lectures and materials for classes that they would be teaching here in the fall.

This summer, some of those same faculty members are doing the same thing, but preparing to teach at different schools in the district. Others are either unemployed or working in different fields.

These are some of the consequences of the recommendations made by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) committee in March of this year. The changes have been made in order for the college to maintain its accreditation, which is vital to making sure that the students' credits and degrees are recognized by other institutions.

"When a student goes to a college," said Dr. Herlinda Glasscock, North Lake College president, "they expect the school to be accredited."

The most obvious impact of these recommendations on students will be changes in the faculty. There have been 22 new full-time faculty members added over the summer. This will help to satisfy one of the SACS requirements that more students spend time with full-time faculty.

At the same time, according to Dr. Martha Hughes, vice-president of academic and student affairs, 190 of the approximately 450 part-time faculty members teaching in the spring were initially disqualified from returning in the fall due to insufficient credentials.

Some were able to show credentials through other classwork while others were able to take the necessary graduate-level classes in order to become credentialed. Many, however, were not allowed to continue teaching at North Lake in the spring.
The timing of the enforced changes comes while schools all over Texas continue to face decreases in their budgets. Schools across the state endured a 7 percent cut at the beginning of the spring and more cuts are being forecast in the coming year.

In the face of these looming financial limitations, North Lake has been put in a situation where it must hire more full-time faculty. The 22 newest full-time faculty members will cost the college $1.1 million once the Board of Trustees has approved them all.

Rising student enrollment is another source of pressure for the administration. Projections show an increase in enrollment ranging from 15 to 26 percent, putting North Lake over 10,000 students for the first time ever.

Demand for classes has skyrocketed, and additional part-time instructors have had to be brought in to fill sections (a total number of part-time faculty members was not available at press time).

"If people can be flexible, I'm hopeful we can accommodate them," said Hughes. "Certainly we"ll do the best we can."

With these considerations weighing on them, administrators continue to wrangle with how to appease the SACS committee, who will be making a return visit to the campus in September in order to determine if the college has taken appropriate measures to address the issues raised on their first visit.