Academic Records

123 Acheson Technology Center (ATC)
(810) 989-5550 Fax: (810) 989-5541
enrollment@sc4.edu
Monday and Thursday 8 to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 8 to 4:30 p.m.

TIME FRAME FOR DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES
SC4 continuously reviews all academic programs to ensure students receive up-to-date curriculum. Due to the ever-changing nature of the degree programs, SC4 monitors the time frame in which students complete their program. Students may follow the degree requirements included in the catalog year upon initial enrollment at SC4 or select any of the subsequent catalog years for which they are enrolled. Students will have a maximum of five (5) years to complete the degree/certificate requirements listed in their selected catalog. For example, students entering SC4 in 2009 may graduate using the 2009 degree requirements until 2014. A student who has not enrolled for a period of five years or more must follow the catalog that is in effect the semester upon re-enrollment to the college.

MULTIPLE ASSOCIATE DEGREES
A second associate degree may be awarded to students that complete the specified degree/certificate requirements. In addition, the student must complete a minimum of 15 additional credits at SC4 for each additional degree/certificate awarded. For example, if the first associate degree is awarded with 62 credits, the second will require 77, the third 92, etc.

APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
Graduation applications and a graduation process checklist are available in the Enrollment Services Office, Room 123 ATC, or on the SC4 Web site. SC4 students can graduate at the conclusion of each semester. Applications must be submitted by the following deadlines:

Students must satisfy all degree/certificate requirements and have a minimum overall GPA of 2.0 to earn a degree/certificate. Students who do not meet the requirements for graduation may have their application reconsidered for one year.

COMMENCEMENT
All graduation candidates are invited to attend Commencement, hosted annually following the winter semester (May). Honors will be calculated from the end of the previous SC4 semester attended for Commencement purposes only. Actual honors will be calculated once the final semester grades are submitted. A bulletin with detailed Commencement information is published in early March and mailed to all prospective graduates. Graduation candidates satisfying all requirements and financial obligations to the college will receive their degree/certificate in the mail by approximately:

Replacement degrees and/or additional copies are available for a fee. Contact the Registrar for details.

FRESH START
It is the philosophy of St. Clair County Community College that students may need a "Fresh Start" at some point in their college career. The Fresh Start procedure allows students who were enrolled in one program and have now re-enrolled in a different program, the opportunity to have their cumulative grade point average reflect their present academic success in their current program. Interested students should contact the Student Success Center, Room 124 ATC, or (810) 989-5520 for a complete outline of this procedure or visit the SC4 Web site.

COURSE SUBSTITUTIONS/WAIVER
Students are expected to take the courses required by the program of study in which they are enrolled. If the circumstances necessitate a substitution, the student must obtain a Course Substitution Request form from the Enrollment Services Office. The form must be completed by the student in consultation with the department chairperson, listing the required course to be substituted, and the rationale for such action. Both the department chairperson and the Registrar must approve all substitutions. Having a course waived will not reduce the total number of credits required for an associate degree/certificate, the requirements for completion of the General Education competencies, nor the course distribution requirements for the associate degree or certificate program.

REPEATED COURSES
A college credit course taken at SC4 for which a final grade has been recorded may be repeated a total of three times. The nursing retake policy is located in the Nursing Policy Handbook. Non-credit courses can be repeated indefinitely. A withdrawal ("W") from a class counts as an attempt and is included in the retake policy.

The best grade earned becomes the officially recorded grade. All attempts remain on the official transcript, including the semester, course number, and grade earned, although only the best grade will be used to calculate the student grade point average.

TRANSFER CREDIT TO SC4
Students wishing to transfer credit to St. Clair County Community College must have an official transcript sent from their previous college(s). Credits for courses taken elsewhere will be evaluated by the Registrar. Transfer credit is accepted with grades of "C" or better or an equivalent of 2.0 or higher based on a 4.0 scale from other colleges and universities which are approved by the American Council on Education and/or accredited by the Higher Learning Commission or its regional equivalent. Recognized regional associations of colleges and schools include Middle States, North Central, New England, Northwest, Southern, and Western. Contact the Registrar at (810) 989-5550 for additional information on transferring credits to SC4.

TRANSFER CREDIT FROM SC4
Students wishing to transfer credits from SC4 to another college/university should work closely with their advisor to ensure the credits will transfer to the school of their choice. As a general policy, colleges and universities will not accept courses for transfer with a grade less than "C." Since colleges and universities vary as to the prescribed curriculum for the first two years, it is very important that an entering student chooses a specific school(s) where they would like to transfer. In addition to using transfer equivalency guides and working with an SC4 advisor, students are strongly encouraged to contact the transfer institution to ensure the credits they are taking will transfer. Transfer information is also available through the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (MACRAO) Web site at www.macrao.org.

Transfer students should also be aware that some four-year colleges and universities consider "I" and "W" grades as less than satisfactory; therefore, it is important to check the transfer policy of the receiving institution.

NOTIFICATION TO STUDENTS OF RIGHTS UNDER FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. They are:

• The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the college receives the request for access. Students should submit to the Registrar written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The college will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the college official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

• The right to the amendment of the student's education record that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the college to amend the record by submitting a formal written request explaining what information they believe to be inaccurate. The college will make a decision on the request and advise the student of the decision.

• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the college in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the college has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, collection agency, bookstore, infromation technology provider, etc.); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her duties. A school official has legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility as determined by the college.

• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by St. Clair County Community College to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
  
  The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
  
  Family Policy Compliance Office
  U.S. Department of Education
  400 Maryland Avenue SW
  Washington, D.C. 20202-4605

Directory information is information not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. It includes:

• Name, address, telephone listing, e-mail address

• Student status; part-time/full-time; freshman/sophomore

• Major field of study

• Weight and height of athletes

• Most recent previous school attended

• Date and place of birth

• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports

• Dates of attendance, degrees, date of graduation and awards

Directory information does not include student identification numbers, social security numbers, or other personally identifiable information. The college may share directory information with other educational institutions. Students opposed to the release of this information should contact the Registrar to obtain a Non-disclosure form. Completed forms should be submitted no later than 30 days subsequent to the first semester of enrollment.

STUDENT RIGHT TO KNOW
In compliance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, SC4 provides information regarding the college's graduation/completion and transfer-out rates. Questions related to this information should be directed to the Registrar, Room 123 ATC.

As a part of the college's instructional program improvement efforts, and to meet the requirements of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, Section 113 and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Section 122, the college uses student Social Security Numbers to compile certain data for the purpose of instructional program improvement and Perkins and WIA reporting. This is in compliance with FERPA. See www.sc4.edu/righttoknow for more information.

SOLOMON AMENDMENT DIRECTORY INFORMATION
Effective March 29, 1997, schools are required to provide the Department of Defense, upon request, access to directory information. Directory information is defined as:

• The student's name, address, and telephone number

• The student's date and place of birth

• The student's level of education, academic major, and any degrees received

• The educational institution in which the student was most recently enrolled

Students may request in writing to withhold the release of any or all information to the Department of Defense. Requests should be sent to the Registrar.

ADVANCED STANDING CREDIT
SC4 provides students with a variety of alternative ways to earn college credit. Awarded credits will be placed on the transcript as "Credit By Exam/Work Experience" and may or may not transfer to other institutions. The following outlines the many options available.

Credit-By-Exam – Students pay a fee to complete an exam and may earn college credit based upon the results. The following are samples of Credit-By-Exam options available at SC4.

Advanced Placement (AP) – High school students taking AP courses may pay to take an exam sponsored by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). SC4 grants credit for scores of 3 or above. Students must request an official copy of their scores sent directly to the Registrar from The College Board www.collegeboard.com or (212) 713-8000.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) – National standardized tests in selected academic areas. SC4 grants credit for scores of 50 or above, with the exception of ENG 101, which also requires an essay. Contact the Academic Achievement Center, Room B100 in the College Center, for details.

Departmental Exams – Course specific exams developed by SC4 faculty that give students the opportunity to earn credit for a specific course. Contact the Academic Achievement Center, Room B100 in the College Center, for details.

Experiential Credit – Students who can demonstrate they have gained the knowledge contained in a particular course(s) may receive a maximum of 12 credit hours of "Experiential Credit." Credits are only applicable to a specific Applied Arts and Science (AAS) degree program. Students must pay a fee and enroll in the appropriate AAS program for the credits to be applied. For complete details, contact the Registrar, Room 123, ATC.

Military Credit - SC4 may award credit(s) based upon military training. Credits must be directly applicable to the program of study and the student must submit an official military transcript to the Registrar. No fee is required.

Articulation Agreements - SC4 has established articulation agreements with numerous high schools, vocational/technical centers, trade academies, etc. which enable students to receive specific credit(s) within their program of study at SC4. No fee is required.

STANDARDS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
SC4 monitors the academic progress of all students on an annual basis. A student must make satisfactory progress towards completion of their degree or certificate in order to continue enrollment at the college.The Standards of Academic Success for SC4 students are:

1. Students that have attempted 12 or more credit hours at SC4 with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above will be considered "Satisfactory."

2. Students that have attempted 12 or more credit hours at SC4 with a cumulative GPA of below 2.0 will be considered "Unsatisfactory."

Students identified as "unsatisfactory" will be subject to probation and/or dismissal from the college. Details of the complete procedure are available by contacting the Registrar, Room 123 ATC.

The grade point average (GPA) is computed for each semester as well as for the total credit hours attempted at SC4. In accordance with the grading system scale, students earn grade points for each credit completed at SC4. The GPA is calculated as follows:
Total grade points earned ÷ Number of credit hours attempted = GPA.

INCOMPLETE GRADES
The "I" incomplete grade is used by the instructors to note that the student, for good reason, has not completed the course requirements by the time final grades were recorded. To qualify, the student: (1) should have completed at least 80% of the work (excluding the final exam), (2) must have been in good attendance, and (3) can be reasonably believed to complete the course independently with a passing grade. If agreed to by both faculty member and student, an agreement delineating exactly what is required, how it is graded, and when it is to be completed must be signed by both parties and placed on file in the Enrollment Services Office.

Unless otherwise agreed to in the contract, work must be completed by the end of the next regular semester. In extenuating circumstances, an extension beyond the normal period may be obtained by the presentation of a petition by the student, and endorsed by the instructor. Incomplete grades are not counted in the cumulative average until the grade is completed. If a grade of "Incomplete" is not removed within the specified time, the grade of "I" will be changed to the grade specified by the instructor on the incomplete grade form.

GRADE CHANGE TIMEFRAME
All grade change requests must be initiated within one (1) year following the end of the course(s) for which the grade was officially recorded. No grade change requests will be accepted following the expiration of that period of time.

HONORS
Academic Honors will be awarded to students who have earned a minimum of 62 credits for an associate degree and 30 credits for an certificate, based upon the following scale:

• Summa Cum Laude = Overall GPA of 4.0
• Magna Cum Laude = Overall GPA of 3.5 – 3.99
• Cum Laude = Overall GPA of 3.0 – 3.49

STUDENT CLASS LEVEL
Freshman = 1- 26 credit hours completed
Sophomore = 27 or more credit hours completed

PRESIDENT'S HONOR LIST
Students enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours with an SC4 semester GPA of 3.00 or above will be placed on the President's Honor List.