TSTC Harlingen officials said they're working to reverse a negative report that put the school on a "warning status."
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission of Colleges recently released a report saying that TSTC's accreditation could be affected.
The report says the school does not have a proper faculty to student ratio.
It also calls the quality and length of some academic programs into question.
TSTC officials said they have identified errors in the report.
They’re working to address the issues in the report and will be submitting the correct information to the SACS Commission of Colleges.
Texas State Technical College Harlingen Responds to SACS Warning
Texas State Technical College Harlingen is proud of the opportunities and the quality of instruction it provides to the students it serves and respects the role that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS) provides as the regional accreditation agency. SACS has continuously accredited TSTC since 1971 as the college has grown to almost 7,000 students and 721 graduates in 2011.
TSTC was notified by SACS that the college has been placed on Warning status after review of its Fifth-Year Interim Report. Warning status is the lightest possible sanction given by SACS, but the TSTC Harlingen team is determined to reverse this status as quickly as possible. This action by SACS is based on the calculation of faculty-to-student ratios, distance learning program length, and its assessment of student learning outcomes. Upon review, TSTC has identified errors in its reporting to SACS that resulted in the Warning status. TSTC president Dr. Cesar Maldonado has assembled a task force that is preparing its clarifying response to SACS, and administrators are confident that the issues of concern can be fully resolved in a timely manner.
The College’s overall student/faculty ratios, as calculated from the latest available data certified by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a regular length semester, was 18.48 to 1 during Spring 2011. The average class size per instructional method was 20 students for lectures, 17 for labs, 16 for distance learning, 14 for clinicals, 4 for co-ops, 7 for internships and 7 for practicums. The information which was submitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is inconsistent with these figures.
TSTC remains fully accredited and has twelve months to address the areas of concern in the report. The college is dedicated to its statewide leadership role in emerging technology and building bright futures for today’s students. Dr. Maldonado stated, “TSTC continues to provide quality instruction, and the ongoing high job placement rate of graduates is reflective of the value that TSTC provides to the community and state of Texas.”
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