Bossier Parish Community College is in compliance with this core requirement because the College employs an adequate number of full-time and adjunct faculty personnel to support the mission of the institution. Adequate is defined as a sufficient number of qualified full-time faculty and adjunct faculty to meet the instructional needs of the certificates and degree programs offered by the College. Bossier Parish Community College employs faculty that supports the philosophy of the institution.
The mission of Bossier Parish Community College is to provide instruction and service to its community. Many of the programs offered are developed to meet the needs of business and industry in the community. The nature of the programs developed determines the qualifications and number of faculty needed to teach and administer the programs. Each department regulates the number of instructors and number of students determined by space, and the academic nature of the subject being taught. In fall 2006, the institution offered a total of 855 sections including sixty-three online courses, five compressed video courses, twenty-nine courses at six off-campus sites, and courses including developmental classes at Northwestern State University at Natchitoches, as part of the College's continued efforts in meeting the needs of our students as they pursue our certificate and degree programs. The Academic Bulletin for Spring 2007 provides a schedule of all courses offered and indicates the faculty member who teaches each course.
Bossier Parish Community College employs both full-time and adjunct faculty. Full-time faculty members are nine to twelve month contracted employees, and must maintain fifteen "contact" hours with the students each semester. Each full-time faculty member must also provide no fewer than ten conference hours per week. Adjunct faculty are part-time faculty teaching on a course-by-course contract. These faculty members are employed on a semester to semester basis. In fall 2006, the College employed 108 full-time faculty members, and in fall 2005, the College employed 106 full-time faculty members. In fall 2006, there were four professors, twenty-eight associate professors, twenty-four assistant professors, and fifty instructors. The 2006 Kansas Study showed that in fall 2004, Bossier Parish Community College had 138.6 full-time equivalent faculty and that 62% of the student credit hours were taught by full-time faculty as part of their regular contract. Since many full-time faculty teach one to two overload sections each semester, many of the classes designated as taught by overload/adjunct faculty are indeed taught by a full-time faculty member at Bossier Parish Community College. The Kansas Study also showed that there was a 1:28.6 ratio of faculty to students. Each full-time faculty and adjunct faculty must have earned a master's degree and 18 hours specific to the course he or she teaches, according to the Faculty Handbook 32-33. Each instructor must hold a master's degree which relates specifically to his or her area of instruction. Alternate qualifications are considered by the College Credentialing Committee, the group who determines if the applicant qualifies for the position.
All full-time faculty personnel, including those with temporary appointments, must be evaluated each year according to the Faculty Evaluation Plan. The main criteria established by the College are instruction and service. Each faculty member is expected to engage in these functions with instruction receiving the primary emphasis and service receiving appropriate consideration. The primary purpose of evaluation is to assess performance and determine areas needing improvement. Each faculty member is encouraged to improve in an effort to contribute to the needs of the institution. Community service, self-evaluation, and self-improvement are considered during evaluation and promotion.
The College has adequate faculty resources and support staff to carry out its mission. The community needs have also been addressed by the institution. Bossier Parish Community College not only serves a local community but also a global one. Bossier Parish Community College has demonstrated that its faculty meet the requirements for compliance.
Bossier Parish Community College is in compliance with this core requirement because it employs adequate full-time and adjunct faculty to support the mission and philosophy of the institution. Each degree program is evaluated regularly in an ongoing effort to meet the changing needs of our students. Full-time and adjunct faculty hold master's degrees which relate specifically to the appropriate areas of instruction; alternate qualifications for faculty are considered by the College Credentialing Committee. All full-time faculty are evaluated yearly in the areas of instruction and service, with primary emphasis given to instruction. The College encourages faculty improvement in the areas of community service, self-evaluation, and self-improvement. The College maintains adequate faculty resources and staff to fulfill its mission to meet the needs of both the local and global communities it serves.
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