CHAPTER 1

 

DEFINITIONS

 

Section 1. Authority. These rules are promulgated pursuant to Wyoming Statutes 21-16-1901 through 21-16-1907, 21- 18-201 through 21-18-226 and 21-18-402.

 

Section 2. Definitions - Community College Commission.

 

(a)                "Academic year" means a period of time that begins with the summer semester and ends with the spring semester in the following year. The year referred to is the calendar year in which the spring semester falls (AY19 means summer and fall semesters 2018 and spring semester 2019).

 

(b)               "Accreditation" means the process by a national or regional organization to grant public recognition of a program or college, indicating that it meets established standards of quality, as determined through initial and periodic self-study and peer evaluation.

 

(c)                "Administrative Computing System" (ACS) means the system that the Commission has purchased for the community colleges and itself, allowing for the following electronic processes to occur at each institution: student services, human resources, financial services, and data reporting.

 

(d)               "Adult Education" (AE) means all instructional and instructional-related activities provided to anyone above the age of compulsory attendance as defined by W.S. 21-4-102, to assist adults in obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary for employment, self-sufficiency, parenting, and improved quality of life. This includes, but is not limited to, basic literacy, English literacy, citizenship and high school equivalency.

 

(e)                "AICPA standards" means the generally accepted auditing standards promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

 

(f)                "Annual report" means the report required by W.S. 9-2-1014(a).

 

(g) "Applied Baccalaureate" (AB) A technical, career, and workforce development bachelor's degree that is designed for applied associate degree holders and is based on a curriculum that incorporates applied knowledge and skills in a specific technical field.

 

(h)   "Associate of Applied Science" (AAS) means a terminal, two-year degree designed for students planning to enter the workforce upon degree completion. This degree enables a completer to transfer to a baccalaureate of applied science degree program and includes occupation-specific technical coursework.

 

(j)    "Associate of Arts" (AA) means a two-year degree designed for students majoring  in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and related disciplines. This degree prepares the student for transfer to a baccalaureate degree program and includes substantial coursework in the humanities, social sciences, arts and liberal arts.

 

(k)      "Associate of Science" (AS) means a two-year degree designed for students majoring     in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, business and other related disciplines. This degree prepares the student for transfer to a baccalaureate degree program and includes substantial coursework in mathematics, natural sciences, engineering, business and/or other related disciplines.

 

(m)    "Auxiliary enterprises" means those entities that furnish goods or services to students, faculty or staff and charge a fee directly related, although not necessarily equal, to the cost of goods or services. Colleges will strive to operate their auxiliary enterprises in a self- supporting manner.

 

(n)            "Board of Cooperative Educational Services" (BOCES) means an entity as described in W.S. 21-20-101 through 111.

 

(o)            "Capital Construction" means:

 

(i)                 Capital Improvements and Capital Assets

 

(A)             Acquisition of land, or a legal interest in land, in conjunction with the construction of a structure.

 

(B)              Acquisition of existing structures, or legal interests in structures, in conjunction with an approved construction project.

 

(ii)               Pre-Construction

 

(A)             Activities related to designing a structure, including planning; architectural design; authorizing, issuing, carrying or repaying interim or permanent financing; research; land use and environmental impact studies; energy analyses; life-cycle cost studies; acquisition of permits or licenses; printing and publishing legal notices; and other required services.

(B)              Activities related to grounds development.

 

(iii)            Construction

 

(A)             Acquisition and assembly of required building materials.

 

(B)              Acquisition and installation of machinery or equipment (mechanical systems), including utilities, cabling, wiring, racks and furnishings or materials that will become an integral part of a structure, and any instructional or scientific equipment.

 

(C)              Purchase of services of contractors, architects, engineers, construction managers, and other consultants to manage and/or supervise the execution of a construction project.

 

(D)             Procurement and placement of authorized Fixtures, Furniture and

Equipment.

 

(E)              Procurement and placement of authorized technology, computer, audio-visual and communication equipment and services.

 

(iv)             Post-Construction

 

(A)             Commissioning, grand opening, and issuance of certificate of

occupancy.

 

(p)            "Capital Renewal" means component or infrastructure projects that are necessary for maintenance and continued functionality of academic buildings that cannot be funded solely with major maintenance funds.

 

(q)            "Census date" means the official date for reporting enrollment data and shall be the date immediately following the twelve percent (12%) completion date of the instructional period.

 

(r)             "CIP code" means the National Center for Education Statistics' Classification of Instructional Programs.

 

(s)             "Class" means a specific college course section which is identified by the time, place, faculty member, and/or modality of the college course offered for student enrollment.

 

(t)              "Concurrent enrollment course" means a college course taught by high school faculty who have been approved as community college adjunct faculty and who are teaching said course as part of their duties as a school district employee. As such, these college courses simultaneously satisfy high school graduation requirements. These courses have been approved by the community college as having equivalent course content, learning objectives and work assignments as an existing college course. Course content and learning objectives are equivalent to the related community college course as determined and defined by community college faculty.

 

(u)            "Cost of attendance" means an estimate of the student's educational expenses for the period of enrollment and includes tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies, transportation, loan fees, and if applicable, dependant care and costs related to disability.

 

(w)   "Credit completion" means a credit hour, weighted by the applicable level of instruction, and earned with a grade of C or better, or more specifically, a grade of A, B, C, S or

P. Credit hours with grades of D, F, U and W, as well as credit hours designated as incomplete are not considered completed credit hours. This definition of credit completion is consistent with the National Community College Benchmark Project's definition of enrollee success.

(y)             "Credit certificate" means recognition by the community college district that a student has completed a coherent list of academic or career technical education credit courses, which is less than the requirement for an associate degree.

 

(z)              "Credit courses" means those courses that recognize the attendance and/or performance in an instructional activity (course or program) that can be applied by a student to requirements for a degree, diploma, or certificate.

 

(aa) "Credit hour" (consistent with current federal regulations) means an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally-established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:

 

(i)                      One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or

 

(ii)                    At least an equivalent amount of work as required in (i) above for other activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

 

(bb) "Current annual weighted credit hours" means one-half of the current biennial weighted credit hours.

 

(cc) "Current biennial weighted credit hours" means the sum of the weighted credit hours for the two most recent academic years completed before preparation of the biennium budget request.

 

(dd) "Current period system-wide credit-hour revenue" means the quotient of dividing the variable costs portion of the system-wide annual base funding amount by the current annual system- wide weighted credit hours.

 

(ee) "Degree" means recognition by the community college district that a student has completed a defined academic or career technical education program of study.

 

(ff) "Discontinued program" means an instructional program that a community college has officially closed to new students and is unable to offer again until the Commission reapproves it.

 

(gg) "Distance learning" means the student and faculty member are separated by time or

space.

 

(hh) "Dual enrollment credit" means credit given to qualified high school students who complete college level courses for which the community college hires and pays the instructor and in which the school district agrees to allow high school graduation credit.

(jj) "Duplicated headcount" means that within a survey or polling exercise of numerous programs or courses, a student may be counted more than once. See also "Unduplicated headcount."

 

(kk) "FAFSA" means Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

 

(mm) "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act" (FERPA), (20 U.S.C. 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99 and any future amendments) means the federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

 

(nn) "Federal financial assistance" means aid provided to students by the federal government in the form of grants, loans, or work-study programs.

 

(oo) "Fees" means the amount charged by an individual college to cover costs including, but not limited to, specific courses and/or programs and general services. The fee assessments must be approved by the respective college prior to being published and charged.

 

(pp) "Financial aid officer" means the employee of the University of Wyoming or of the community colleges designated as such.

 

(qq) "Financial institution" means any banking corporation or institution engaged primarily in lending or investing funds and authorized to do business in the state.

 

(rr) "High School Equivalency" means attainment of the knowledge and skills or level of academic proficiency comparable to that which would be attained in a high school program of study and yields significantly the same outcome or capability.

 

(ss) "Hybrid course" means a course which integrates distance learning and face-to- face modes to provide student access to instruction and learning.

 

(tt) "Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System" (IPEDS) means the web- based data collection system used for annual institution-level data collections, as required by the

U.S. Department of Education.

 

(uu) "Level four class" means the same as the definition of "distance education class" found in W.S. 21-18-102(xvii). Level one, two and three classes are reassigned to level four by recognition of specific instructional modalities identified by schedule types in the administrative computing system.

 

(ww)"Long-term program" means programs that are anticipated to be continually offered.

These long-term programs have gone through rigorous multi-level approval processes.

 

(yy) "Management Information System" (MIS) means an organized method of providing information related to past, present, and projected operations. MIS supports the planning and operational functions of an organization by furnishing uniform, timely information to assist in the decision-making process.

 

(zz)    "National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) standards" means the generally accepted accounting standards promulgated by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and adopted by the community colleges.

(aaa)    "Non-credit course" means all courses that are not defined as a credit course.

(bbb)   "Official Custodian" of public records for the Commission means the executive

director.

 

(ccc) "One-year certificate" means a credit certificate that requires 24 or more semester credit hours to complete.

 

(ddd) "Optional Mills" means a board-approved levy of up to one (1) additional mill for the regular support and operation of the college permitted by W.S. 21-18-303(b), a voter-approved levy of up to five (5) mills for specific purpose expenditures permitted by W.S. 21-18-311(f), or a board-approved levy of up to one-half (1/2) mill to maintain programs offered by a participating Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) permitted by W.S. 21-20-109(a).

 

(eee) "Persistence" means a student has enrolled for a subsequent term in any institution that leads to graduation.

 

(fff) "Pilot programs" means programs that have an abbreviated implementation process to meet the immediate educational needs of the community, business sector, or academic mission of the college.

 

(ggg) "Program" means an ordered sequence of instructional coursework that upon completion leads to a community college district conferring an applied baccalaureate, associate degree, conferring a credit certificate, or granting any non-credit title.

 

(hhh) "Program completion" means a degree, one-year certificate, transfer preparation certificate, short-term certificate, or special need certificate awarded to a student during an academic year. Certificates eligible to be counted as program completions shall be established by the Academic Affairs Council, and subordinate awards made by an institution to the same student in the same academic year shall not be counted as program completions. Degree completions shall have a weighting factor of 2.0. Eligible certificate completions of 24 credit hours or more shall have a weighting factor of 1.75. Eligible certificate completions of less than 24 hours shall have a weighting factor of 1.5.

 

(jjj) "Retention" means a student has enrolled for a subsequent term at the same institution as the previous term.

 

(kkk) "Short-term certificate" means a credit certificate that requires less than 24 semester credit hours to complete.

(mmm) "Special need certificate" means a credit certificate that prepares students needing either a unique skill set or the ability to serve a unique community need.

 

(nnn) "Total and permanent disability" means the inability to work and earn money because of an injury or illness that is expected to continue indefinitely or result in death.

 

(ooo) "Transfer preparation certificate" means a credit certificate comprised of 24 or more semester credit hours sanctioned to transfer as a block of courses to a specific higher education institution by an articulation agreement with a Wyoming community college.

 

(ppp) "Tuition" means the rate established by the Commission to be charged by a college for enrollment in credit courses.

 

(qqq) "Tuition cap" means a policy to limit the number of credits for which tuition is assessed within a given semester.

 

(rrr) "Unduplicated headcount" means that within a survey or polling exercise of numerous programs and/or courses, a student shall be counted only once. See "Duplicated headcount."

 

(sss)"Unmet need" means the student's total cost of attendance minus the expected family contribution (as determined by the FAFSA process) and all aid available to the student including grants, work study programs, scholarships, or any other public or private financial aid provided to the student.

 

(ttt) "Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education" (WICHE) is a regional, nonprofit organization. Membership includes 15 western states that work to improve access to higher education and ensure student success.

 

(uuu) "Western Undergraduate Exchange" (WUE) is a regional tuition-reciprocity agreement that enables students from WICHE states to enroll in participating two- and four-year public institutions at 150 percent of the enrolling institution's resident tuition rate.

 

 

Section 3. Definitions - Wyoming Investment in Nursing Program (WYIN).

 

(a)                "ADN" means a nurse who has completed an Associate's (2-year) Degree and is eligible to take the licensure exam for registered nursing.

 

(b)               "Approved higher education institution" means one of the seven Wyoming community colleges, the University of Wyoming, an institution included in the WICHE, or a distance nursing education program at a university that is regionally accredited.

 

(c)                "BSN" means Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing.

 

(d)               "Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)" means a nurse aide, certified by the WY State Board of Nursing.

 

 

(e)                "Licensure examination" means the test required for the WY State Board of Nursing to grant an individual a license to practice nursing.

 

(f)                "Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)" means a Practical Nurse who has completed a certificate program and passed the practical nurse licensure exam as required by the WY State Board of Nursing.

 

(g)               "Nursing program" means a series of courses leading to an LPN certificate or an ADN degree provided through a Wyoming community college; or a BSN degree or a Master's degree provided through the University of Wyoming; or, in the case of a candidate for a doctoral degree, provided through an institution offering the required nursing education courses under contract with the WICHE, or in a distance nursing education program provided through a university that is regionally accredited.

 

(h)               "Practical Nurse" (PN) means a nurse who has completed a certificate program.

 

(j)                 "Qualified work" means employment in Wyoming as an LPN or RN who practices nursing or a nurse educator who teaches at a nurse education program at a Wyoming community college or the University of Wyoming.

 

(k)               "Registered Nurse (RN)" means a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a regionally accredited university or college, has passed the state examination for licensure, and has been registered and licensed to practice by the WY State Board of Nursing.

 

(m) "Unencumbered license" means a permit to practice nursing without restrictions imposed by the WY State Board of Nursing.

 

 

Section 4. Definitions - Wyoming Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program (TSLRP).

 

(a)        "Qualified work" means teaching at least fifty percent (50%) of working hours as a teacher in a Wyoming public school in a qualified area as designated in W.S. 21-7-601.

 

 

Section 5. Definitions - Wyoming Adjunct Professor Loan Repayment Program (WAPLR).

 

(a)                "Adjunct instructor" means a person employed by a Wyoming public school district who is qualified to teach a course that results in the award of college credits by an accredited post- secondary institution.

 

(b)               "Education program" means a course(s) necessary to qualify an individual, after successful completion, to teach a concurrent course(s) that result(s) in the award of college credits by an accredited post-secondary institution.

(c)                "Qualified work" means teaching, or being available to teach should the curriculum be skipped for a semester, concurrent courses for which college credit is awarded.

 

(d)                 "Resident" means a person whose primary residence lies within the borders of the State of Wyoming pursuant to W.S. 22-1-102(a)(xxx).

 

 

Section 6. Definitions - High School Equivalency Certificate Program.

 

(a)                "Accredited" means the process by a national or regional organization to grant public recognition of a program or college, indicating that it meets established standards of quality, as determined through initial and periodic self-study and peer evaluation.

 

(b)               "Assessment" means a commercially available instrument for measurement of academic capability or achievement.

 

(c)                "Certificate" means recognition by the HSEC program that a student has successfully completed an equivalency assessment instrument approved by the HSEC committee and the Commission.

 

(d)               "Committee" means the group of individuals and representatives of stakeholder entities directly affected by changes to the HSEC program, who convene to make selections and decisions concerning authorized instruments and pathways for the HSEC program.

 

(e)                "Equivalency" means the knowledge and skills or level of academic proficiency demonstrated by a student is comparable to that which would be attained in a high school program of study and yields significantly the same outcome or capability.

 

(f)                "Pathway" means any method or combination of measurements used to determine that a student has successfully met the state-approved criteria for completion and award of the HSEC.

 

Section 7. Definitions - Wyoming Works Program.

 

(a)                "Academic term" as defined in W.S. 21-18-402, shall include "payment period" as having the same meaning as "term" and "semester."

 

(b)               "Academic year" means a period of time that begins with the summer semester and ends with the spring semester in the following year.

 

(c)                "CFR" means the Code of Federal Regulations, and is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the federal government.

 

(d)               "Consortium" as defined in W.S. 21-18-402, shall be established through contractual or written agreements, or memoranda of understanding.

 

(e)                "Cost of attendance" as referenced in Chapter 5, Section 13 of these rules may be

denoted as "COA."

 

(f)                "Direct costs" means the enrollment expenses a student is responsible for paying directly to the community college, such as tuition and fees, mandatory fees, room and board, and books and supplies. Direct costs are included in the COA calculation.

 

(g)               "EFC" means the Expected Family Contribution - the measure of a family's financial strength calculated according to a formula established by federal law.

 

(h)               "FAFSA" means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is the student aid application provided for under section 483 of the HEA, which is used to determine an applicant's eligibility for federal student aid programs.

 

(j)                 "Gift aid" means federal, public or private financial assistance, such as grants and scholarships received by a student in conjunction with their enrollment in an approved program at a community college, and that do not need to be repaid. Gift aid excludes federal and private student loans, work-study, and all other types of student employment affiliated with enrollment in an approved program at a community college.

 

(k)               "HEA" means the Higher Education Act, federal legislation passed in 1965 with amendments and reauthorizations subsequently passed, authorizing federal postsecondary student financial aid programs and mandating that the programs be regulated and administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

 

(m)             "Indirect Costs" means the expenses a student incurs due to enrollment in a community college, as determined annually by the college in accordance with W.S. 21-18-404 (b), that are not paid to the community college. Indirect expenses are limited to travel and personal expenses, and are included in COA calculation.

 

(n)               "Payment Period" means the academic period or period of enrollment established by an institution for which a student grant may be disbursed. Payments for all student grants under

W.S. 21-18-401 through W.S. 21-18-409 must be made on a payment period basis.

 

(o)                 "SAP" means Satisfactory Academic Progress. SAP determinations are qualitative and/or quantitative evidence or markers that signify a student is completing requirements toward finishing an approved for-credit or non-credit program in a timely fashion.

 

Section 8. Definitions - Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship Program.

 

(a) "Certify" means the confirmation by the Commission of Wyoming's Tomorrow Scholarship recipients and scholarship award amounts to be paid to the colleges and the University  based on the institutions' attestation of final scholarship recipient for each academic term. 

 

(b) "Home institution"  means the Wyoming community college or University of Wyoming higher education institution at which a prospective student initially applies to and enrolls in credit or non-credit course specific to a declared program of study leading to a degree or certificate offered at that institution, or for continuing higher education students, means the institution at which the student most recently enrolled for credit or non-credit courses specific to a program of study leading to a degree or  certificate offered at that institution.

 

(c)     "Sponsorship" A formalized relationship between a student and employer that provides for additional financial support or commitment to hiring or advancement after completion.