Texas Register, Volume 19, Number 41, Pages 4291-4362, June 3, 1994 Page: 4,328
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The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board adopts new 5. 245, concerning Oper-
ation of Off-Campus Educational Units of
Public Universities (Multi-Institution Teaching
Center), with changes to the proposed text as
published in the March 15, 1994, issue of the
Texas Register (19 TexReg 1729).
The rule is necessary to allow students to
attain degrees at more geographically conve-
nient locations.
The new rule functions by permitting institu-
tions to offer existing degree programs at
jointly managed remote sites. They provide
standards and procedures for consideration
of approval and oversight of the center.
Comments received stated that more clarifi-
cation was needed; questions were raised
regarding off-campus educational unit and
auxiliary location; whether courses must be
part of the institution's course inventory; and
whether courses offered must be reported
separately. Since some universities no longer
have a graduate faculty per se, it was sug-
gested to add the words "if applicable" to
5.245(f)(6).
Comments were received from the University
of North Texas and the University of Houston
System. Commenters were neither in favor
nor opposed to adoption of the rule.
The agency agreed with the comments and
changes were made accordingly.
The new section is adopted under Texas Ed-
ucation Code, 61.051 which provides the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
with the authority to adopt rules concerning
Operation of Off-Campus Educational Units
of Public Universities (Multi-Institution Teach-
ing Center).
5245. Multi-institution Teaching Center.
(a) Role and Mission. A multi-
institution Teaching Center is an "off- cam-
pus educational unit" or "auxiliary location"
administered under a formal agreement be-
tween two or more public higher education
institutions. It may also involve one or more
private institution partners. It exists for the
purpose of providing credit instruction from
several "parent institutions" in a common
geographic setting. With prior approval, de-
gree programs may also be offered by and
in the name of the parent institution. A
teaching center is not a separate general
academic institution and does not have in-
dependence regarding academic, adminis-
trative, or fiscal matters.
(b) Implementation. The Coordinat-
ing Board must give formal approval of a
Multi-institution Teaching Center before it
may be initiated. Board approval is required
whether the center operates as an "off-
campus educational unit" or as an "auxiliary
location." The Commissioner of Higher Ed-
ucation does not have authority to designate
a Multi-institution Teaching Center as an
auxiliary location. Board approval will be
considered only after it receives a proposal
and contract of agreement submitted jointlyby the governing boards of the parent insti-
tutions seeking authority to offer instruction
at the common location.
(c) Authority. If the teaching cen-
ter is approved as an "off-campus educa-
tional unit," courses and programs must be
offered by more than one institution at the
site under Board rules for off-campus sites.
Such a jointly administered off-campus site
will generally be required to operate suc-
cessfully for two years before the Board
will consider designating it as an auxiliary
location. Institutions may petition the Board
to designate a teaching center as an an
auxiliary location. Designation as an auxil-
iary location must be made by action of the
Coordinating Board based on submission of
a proposal and contract of agreement sub-
mitted jointly by the governing boards of
the parent institutions seeking authority to
offer instruction at the common location.
The Board may designate the site as an
auxiliary location if there is clear evidence
that the course offerings will be of high
quality, enrollment projections demonstrate
a sufficient on-going student demand, and
there is assurance of adequate financing and
facilities. If such designation is authorized.
the Board will conduct regular evaluation
and oversight of all activities at the site. In
the event that the Board determines at any
time that any of the above provisions are
not satisfied, the teaching center will be
subject to the rules and regulations for off-
campus sites for a minimum of two years
before the site could again be considered as
an auxiliary location. Each parent institution
may offer associate, baccalaureate and/or
master's degree programs at the teaching
center provided that it first receives ap-
proval by the Coordinating Board and the
Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools for the delivery of each degree
program at the site. No program may be
offered at a teaching center that does not
have prior approval to be offered at the
parent institution.
(d) Center Name. The name to be
used for a multi-institution teaching center
must be approved by the Coordinating
Board, and may not be changed without
prior Coordinating Board approval.
(e) Course Approval. Courses pre-
viously approved for a parent institution
may be offered at the teaching center with-
out prior Coordinating Board approval, with
the following restrictions.
(1) Courses offered at the
teaching center must be reported separately.
Most courses are expected to lead to the
fulfillment of requirements for degrees, but
a limited number of special-need courses
may be offered.
(2) Courses must meet the same
standards as comparable courses offered at
the parent institution.(3) Courses proposed to be of-
fered at the teaching center but not at the
parent institution must have prior approval
by the Coordinating Board.
(4) All students seeking to en-
roll in courses offered at a teaching center
must be admitted by the same procedures
and under the same standards applicable to
students enrolled at the parent institution.
(5) Student records must distin-
guish between courses taken at the center
and at the parent institution.
(f) Degree Program Approval. Re-
quests to offer degree programs at a teach-
ing center must be based upon careful
surveys of need and the availability of qual-
ified faculty and other resources. They may
be approved subject to the following restric-
tions.
(1) All students seeking to en-
roll in programs offered at a teaching center
must be admitted by the same procedures
and under the same standards applicable to
students enrolled at the parent institution.
(2) Programs must be adminis-
tered and evaluated by the same office or
person administering the same program at
the parent institution.
(3) Doctoral degree programs
will not be authorized to be offered at a
multi-institution teaching center.
(4) Facilities, including lecture
halls and laboratories, at teaching centers
must be equivalent to or better than the
facilities available on the corresponding
parent institutions. A proposed program
may be offered at a teaching center only
after the responsible administrator certifies
to the adequacy of laboratory and computer
resources and classroom facilities.
(5) Students must have parent
institution library privileges and have li-
brary resources adequate for the courses or
programs offered and convenient for use at
the teaching center. A course or program
may be offered at the teaching center only
after the responsible administrator certifies
that adequate library resources are avail-
able.
(6) The majority of faculty
members at a teaching center must, by some
means, have prior or continuing significant
annual involvement at the parent institution
in order to qualify to teach one or more
courses at the teaching center. A part-time
faculty member employed to teach a course
at the teaching center could meet the re-
quirement for continuing involvement by
teaching a course annually at the parent
institution prior to or concurrently with the
assigned teaching center course. A limited
number of instructors who do not satisfy the
continuing involvement standard may teach
credit courses at the teaching center with19 TexReg 4328 June 3, 1994 Texas Register *
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Texas. Secretary of State. Texas Register, Volume 19, Number 41, Pages 4291-4362, June 3, 1994, periodical, June 3, 1994; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth176894/m1/38/?q=%221994-06%22: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.