Kansas State University

Conferences and Off-Campus Courses

Chapter 3930

Revised June 1, 2006

Table of Contents

.010 Foreword

.020 Policy for Conferences and Off-Campus Courses

.030 Rationale for the Policy

.040 Background for the Policy

.050 Relationship Between DCE and University Mission

.060 Questions

.010 Foreword

This policy addresses administration of conferences and off-campus courses including distance courses offered by Kansas State University. The Provost and Vice President for Administration and Finance developed this policy to guide K-State in achieving goals to meet the needs of all those outside the traditional university, including non-traditional and distance students and conference participants. This policy addresses public relations, legal issues and financial issues related to conferences. It clearly explains how CEU (continuing education unit) activity is handled at K-State. It defines the partnership between K-State Global Campus and academic units in serving off-campus students completing course work electronically and also in face-to-face settings. This chapter also addresses the role of K-State Global Campus in meeting the university's mission.

.020 Policy for Conferences and Off Campus Courses

K-State Global Campus will have the following responsibilities related to university-sponsored conferences (both on and off campus) and off-campus courses :

• Coordinate delivery of all off-campus Kansas State University credit and non-credit courses and programs whether they are delivered in a face-to-face or mediated format;

• Coordinate conferences and workshops sponsored by university units;

• Administer, award and record all CEU activity associated with activities sponsored by university units.

K-State Global Campus will assess fees for these services in accordance with a rate schedule approved by the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Budget Planning.

Exceptions to this policy may be granted by the President, Provost, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, or Chief Financial Officer and Director of Budget Planning on a case-by-case basis and the campus will be notified of such exceptions.

.030 Rationale for the Policy

• This policy will encourage faculty and departments to concentrate on providing the excellent intellectual content and instruction for which K-State is well known to off-campus students, distant students, non-credit students, conference (face-to-face and electronic conferencing) participants, and those needing CEUs. In partnership with the academic units, DCE coordinates and delivers each educational opportunity ensuring that the expertise of the K-State faculty is extended to those needing educational opportunities outside traditional boundaries.

• This policy will enable and ensure that the university, while being fiscally responsible, complies with all policies determined by the federal and state governments, the Kansas Board of Regents, and Kansas State University.

• This policy will help ensure that K-State continues to be nationally recognized as a provider of innovative educational opportunities including conferences, non-credit and credit courses, and degrees that attract a growing share of those seeking professional advancement.

.040 Background for the Policy

DCE sustains a long-standing role in meeting the needs of those outside traditional university walls while serving as an advocate for students and professionals who need further or updated knowledge and information. DCE achieves K-State's goals by:

• Maintaining communication and quality service to non-traditional students, non-credit and conference participants;

• Identifying emerging educational needs;

• Leveraging intellectual effort and permanent content and expressing that intellectual property to achieve extensive use for a variety of audiences in the most efficient and practical delivery format;

• Ensuring that state resources are efficiently used, state mandates are followed and complete financial records are kept;

• Issuing and recording complete records of CEU activity for individuals; (CEU records are official records of completion for many professional and paraprofessional workers and serve to quantify and document continuing education for licensing, salary enhancements, and career advancement.)

• Assuring that the university is compliant with regulations and laws; and

• Marketing and promoting K-State courses and programs to a diverse state, national, and international audience.

The DCE staff deals with thousands of students and non-credit participants yearly. Proven systems efficiently serve students, conference participants, and sponsors. DCE continues to provide excellent student service to actively compete with the myriad of national educational providers, understanding that this group of non-traditional learners has limitless opportunity with other universities or private educational enterprises. Every DCE employee knows this and approaches each contact with the public with this fact in mind.

Public relations:

K-State DCE enjoys a strong national reputation in the conferencing arena. Coordination of all non-credit courses, educational experiences, events, and conferences is handled professionally by a skilled coordination team who recognizes that the only contact with K-State by many taxpayers or professionals both from within and out of the state is through using a non-credit module on our web site, participating in a web conference, or attending a conference or workshop. Professionally coordinated events reflect well on the University. Below are some of the specific reasons why these activities should be centralized in an expert unit.

Liability:

The many financial aspects of conferencing must be handled within the State of Kansas, Kansas Board of Regents, and K-State guidelines. The conferencing staff must address accommodations for disabilities, copyright issues from presenters and handouts, safety and security issues including hazardous weather, the use of alcoholic beverages, and general liability issues. Contracts with numerous vendors (event facilities, hotels, transportation, speakers, service providers) are necessary and must be negotiated and signed only by the K-State administration's designated staff in DCE. Experienced coordinators and efficient systems are imperative to the success of these events.

CEU activity:

The expanding demand for updated credentialing for professionals has made it imperative that CE activity records for individuals are well maintained and retrievable now and in the future. DCE is designated by the Kansas Board of Regents as the K-State unit which awards CEUs, creates the record of the CEU, and in conjunction with other certifying agencies, maintains these official university records for K-State.

Financial:

The Kansas Board of Regents rules stipulate that conference and non-credit events must be self- supporting and that General Use Fund appropriation money may not be used for non-credit events. All fees for these events must be collected by DCE on behalf of the University. Restricted fees are used to cover administration of these events in compliance with the Kansas Board of Regents and state policies. Conference related revenue must be deposited within a restricted time period into proper accounts, and detailed records of those deposits maintained. Every non-credit event begins with a budget and ends with a final report. All conferencing records are maintained according to University mandates for the proper number of years, and then are archived.

Distance and Off-Campus Courses and Programs

New Course and Program Development and Marketing:

The constant contact with professionals in many fields allows DCE to serve as a conduit for development of programs to meet emerging student credit and non-credit needs at the state and national levels. The distance students are the fastest growing segment of those served by K-State. The revenue generated from these non-traditional students will continue to be an integral part of K-State funding. DCE staff are aware of marketing strategies and emerging demands of learners. The innovative programs and services in the distance area have garnered the university numerous national awards over the past few years, proving that the partnerships of DCE and the academic units who provide the intellectual content and instruction serve both students and K-State well.

Student Services:

Distance students have expectations for high quality services, and often need special consideration as they pursue degrees. The systems in DCE, which provide student services, and DCE's close monitoring of student satisfaction are imperative to the growth of the distance student population. DCE works with all providers of K-State student services to apply those services received by the more traditional student to distance and off-campus students. The DCE staff is well versed in the most current delivery methods and understands how to apply intellectual content in numerous ways to meet the needs of students with diverse learning needs and styles.

.050 Relationship Between DCE and University Mission

The land-grant mission of the University embraces commitments to teaching, research, and public service. The delivery of credit and non-credit programs including conferences is one important way the University fulfills this mission.

Teaching:

DCE partners with academic units to deliver information and knowledge to citizens, allowing the expertise of the Kansas State University faculty to be accessed by those seeking degrees, courses, or professional updating.

Research:

New research techniques, major advances in academic fields, emerging perspectives within or across disciplines, and strategies for improving the organizational infrastructures illustrate the kinds of information needed by professionals and scholars. DCE provides the outreach mechanism needed to disperse information and support collaborative efforts among and between individuals, research teams, and academic institutions.

Service:

Because of newly developed delivery capabilities, DCE plays a strong role in enabling the University to remain responsive to citizens. Non-credit and credit programs bring K-State faculty together with working professionals, researchers, and government officials, allowing an information channel to flow so K-state can better identify and meet the needs of Kansas citizens.

.060 Questions

Direct questions to K-State Global Campus at 785-532-5575.