Councils & Committees
SOCHE is dedicated to advancing higher education through active collaboration, resource and knowledge building, and effective professional development programs. To accomplish this, SOCHE administers 16 active Councils and Committees. The purpose of a SOCHE Council or Committee is to provide an opportunity for representatives from higher education to be a resource for one another, share information and best practices, identify common challenges, and, ultimately, broaden awareness of the resources, services, and activities in higher education. SOCHE is also dependent upon the Councils and Committees for substantial input on annual professional development programs.
Articulation Council
Articulation Council
Purpose
The Articulation Council was initiated by the Chief Academic Officers to develop, enhance, and expand varying strategies to improve the quality of transfer among SOCHE institutions. It is the vision of the Chief Academic Officers and the Articulation Council that SOCHE institutions will be the leaders in Ohio in assisting students in transferring credit between colleges and universities.
Key areas to facilitate this process include:
- General education transferability.
- Transfer student advising.
- Availability of academic programs.
Mission
The Articulation Council, initiated by the Chief Academic Officers, develops, enhances, and expands strategies to improve the quality of transfer among SOCHE institutions and assists students in transferring credit between colleges and universities.
Key areas to facilitate this process include:
- Fostering collaboration among institutions
- Providing opportunities for professional development
- Serving as a clearinghouse for statewide and national developments in articulation and transfer
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, council information, and to join this council.
How to Articulate
Transferring credits from one institution to another can be a confusing process, so the SOCHE Articulation Council has worked to provide you with resources to simplify it. We recommend that you begin with the FAQ’s, which provide answers to common transfer questions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Transferring:
Traditional Students (High School to College)
Non-Traditional Students (Adult Transfers)
College to College Transfers
Definition of Common Terms
An Articulation Agreement is a formalized agreement between two institutions which outlines the general transferability of students, courses and credits and facilitates movement of students from the sending institution to the receiving institution.
A Program-to-Program Agreement (or Parallel Program) is a program of study which articulates how courses at the sending institution transfer toward requirements for a specific program at the receiving institution.
The Ohio Transfer and Articulation Policy is intended to facilitate transfer from one Ohio institution to another. The entire policy is available on the Ohio Board of Regents web page.
The Ohio Transfer Module (OTM) is a subset or complete set of general education requirements that will transfer from one Ohio public institution to another. The Ohio Transfer Module includes courses in English composition, mathematics, arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural sciences.
Transfer Assurance Guides (TAGs) are composed of courses and learning outcomes. The purpose of the TAG is to allow students to transfer, in a simple and direct manner, a core of courses that will count toward the major program.
Career Technical Credit Transfer Guides (CTAGs) help more high school and adult career-technical students to go to college and enter with college credit. Students who successfully complete specified programs technical programs are eligible to have technical credit transfer to public colleges and universities. This transfer of credit is described in Career-Technical Assurance Guides (CTAG). CTAGs are advising tools that assist students moving from Ohio secondary and adult career-technical institutions to Ohio public institutions of higher education.
Transferology is a nation-wide network designed to help students explore their college transfer options. It houses an equivalency system that allows students to determine the transferability of courses from one institution to another.
Why should you develop articulation agreements?
- To encourage and enhance interest in post secondary education for high school students
- To facilitate transfer from one institution to another
- To avoid duplication of resources
- To promote completion of degrees
- To create linkages and fosters partnerships within the learning community
When should you articulate?
- When you receive a high number of transfer students from one institution.
- When you are sharing the same information repeatedly to prospective students and advisors at other colleges.
- When you want to formalize transfer equivalencies.
- When you want to recruit transfer students from a particular institution.
Before Getting Started
- Determine to and from where your students are transferring.
- Consider what credits you accept from those institutions.
- Gather what has been established about transfer credits from these institutions.
- Assess the climate on campus and interest in creating articulation agreements.
- Gather support from appropriate administrators, staff and faculty at your institution.
- Determine the interest at the sending institution in creating agreements.
The Steps to Articulation
- Connect with the sending institution
- Create a general articulation agreement
- Evaluate all courses from the sending institution
- Build parallel program agreements
- Build course-by-course guides, if appropriate
- Inform students of new opportunities available
See the steps in detail.
Articulation & Transfer Conference (October 22)
Career Services Committee
Career Services Committee
Purpose
Collaborates to support students and alumni by providing career and professional development resources, services, experiences and community connections that promote the essential information, skills, and behaviors necessary for career success.
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Chair
Chad Bridgman
Sinclair College
Vice Chair
Lance Cauley
Wright State University
Experiential Learning Definitions
Career Services Committee Resource Page
Council of Chief Academic Officers
Council of Chief Academic Officers
Organization/Membership
The Council of Chief Academic Officers consists of representatives of the academic units of SOCHE member institutions and, therefore, should be recognized as the organizational unit with the primary responsibility for the initiation, review, and approval of SOCHE programs.
Purpose
The major purposes of the SOCHE Council of Chief Academic Officers are:
- To foster communication and enhance networking among the SOCHE Chief Academic Officers and their constituent groups.
- To provide opportunities for professional growth and development among members and constituent groups.
- To provide a forum for discussing regional issues of concern to member institutions.
- To provide leadership for collaborative partnerships that will benefit the region.
- To serve as a communication link with other SOCHE Councils/Committees.
Activities
The Council of Chief Academic Officers assists in the development, review, and approval of existing and new programs and activities, including:
- Student Cross Registration
- Collaborative Grant Proposals
- Articulation Agreements
- Conferences, Seminars, and Workshops
The Council of Chief Academic Officers assists in communication with other standing committees, including:
- Student Affairs Officers
- Library Directors
- Faculty Development Team
- Public Relations Officers
- Registrars
- Diversity Initiatives Team
- Articulation Officers
- Civic Learning and Engagement Team
- Retention and Completion Team
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, council information, and to join this council.
Council of Registrars
Council of Registrars
Purpose
The Council of Registrars develops, monitors and enhances the Cross Registration program which is designed to provide educational access to all 22 member institutions for students at any member school. Through this program, students can take courses not available on their home campuses by simply completing the Cross Registration process. Though each institution may have its own particular procedures, the Council of Registrars develops the basic registration process and standard form used at all the campuses. Furthermore, the Council facilitates the effective use of the Cross-Consortia Agreement with the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities (GC3).
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, council information, and to join this council.
Council of Student Affairs Officers
Council of Student Affairs Officers
Purpose
The Council of Student Affairs Officers serves as a forum for discussion and collaboration on topics and issues affecting the region’s higher education community by:
- Providing professional support and renewal for those who wish to enhance student-centered learning and development
- Identifying trends, issues, policies and regulations that affect students and staff and developing strategies to address these needs
- Utilizing regional student affairs professionals as a key professional development resource
- Engaging members of the student affairs profession in the collaborative examination of their practices
- Sharing information from our campuses to develop strategies to expand and enhance students’ access to higher education
- Making recommendations for possible programming in current areas of concern for the student affairs profession
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, council information, and to join this council.
Cybersecurity Committee
Cybersecurity Committee
Vision
Establish and enhance Southwestern Ohio’s reputation as a national leader in cybersecurity education, research, and private and public partnerships.
Mission
The Cybersecurity Consortium of Southwestern Ohio will serve as a highly valued Cincinnati-Dayton Regional Corridor resource for education, research, and workforce development in cybersecurity and information assurance.
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Chair, Cybersecurity Consortium of SW Ohio
Thomas Skill
University of Dayton
Vice Chair, Education
Robert Mills
Air Force Institute of Technology
Vice Chair, Research
John Franco
University of Cincinnati
Vice Chair, Workforce Development
Vance Saunders
Wright State University
Visit CinDay Cyber
Read the Press Release
Committee Resource Page
Disability Services Committee
Disability Services Committee
Purpose
Charged by the Chief Academic Officers, the Disability Services Committee is responsible for:
- exploring collaboration in the areas of disability services to respond to students’ requests for accommodations, ADA compliance and cross-registration issues
- providing and offering professional support and renewal for those who wish to enhance student, faculty and staff success through involvement in an inter-institutional and interdisciplinary community of peers
- identifying trends and issues that affect teaching and learning, and prepare faculty and staff to meet them
- engaging members of the academic community in the collaborative, scholarly practice of supporting the needs of people with disabilities.
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee
Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee
Purpose
The Diversity Initiatives Committee was created in 2001 with a name change in 2014.
The committee:
- enables the creation and maintenance of professional networks between SOCHE member campuses that will develop a consortium-wide approach to the needs of creating educational equity
- provides professional support and renewal for those who wish to enhance their skills through involvement in an inter-institutional and interdisciplinary community of peers
- encourages dialogue about how various aspects of diversity impact the campus life experience, and identify trends and issues that campus climate and town/gown relations and, prepare students, administrators, faculty, and staff to meet them
- enables productive exchanges of information about learning and teaching in both curricular and co-curricular contexts
- identifies, disseminates, and fosters effective approaches to teaching, learning, and faculty development
- develop consortial and public recognition programs for outstanding diversity programs on the member institution campuses.
Mission
To provide a structure across post-secondary education in southwest Ohio to support the development of the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the needs of a multicultural society on the part of faculty, staff, students, and institutions of higher education.
Vision
Inter-culturally competent institutions of higher education in southwest Ohio that educate students from every sector of our broadly diverse community to be successfully employed and engaged global citizens.
Goals and Strategies
- Create a professional network of individuals leading the work related to diversity, inclusion, equity, and development of intercultural competence for institutions of higher education in southwest Ohio
- hold regular meetings of representatives from each SOCHE member organization to carry out this work, this group will be referred to as the Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee
- appoint a slate of officers selected from the membership of the Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee, to include a chair, vice-chair, and past chair for each academic year
- provide social networking opportunities for individuals engaged in this work
- Provide professional development related to understanding diversity in higher education, recruiting and ensuring the success of students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds, particularly those historically underserved by post-secondary education and best practices related to achieving inclusive excellence
- hold an annual diversity conference in the region
- include training related to cultural competence as part of all SOCHE conferences and trainings
- invite experts on topics related to best practices in diversity and inclusion to Committee meetings
- Develop a program of public recognition for exceptional diversity and inclusion work on the part of programs, institutions, and individuals
- create a series of awards recognizing institutions, individual employees (faculty and staff), and students who contribute to this work in extraordinary ways
- hold an awards ceremony to publicly recognize the aforementioned individuals
- provide an innovation grant to support new projects related to this work
- Provides forums for civil, deliberative dialogues about difficult diversity issues facing society and our campuses
- create a Difficult Dialogue series in which participants take part in small group deliberations within a larger forum format (a specific process will be designed to facilitate this type of discussion)
- support and encourage the participation on the part of members of individual campus communities in these types of critical conversations taking place at institutions other than their own
- Promote multicultural programming and events sponsored by SOCHE member institution
- SOCHE staff will develop, update and publish a central repository of current diversity-related events sponsored by associated institutions of higher education
- Members of the Committee will inform their respective campuses of diversity-related events happening around the region and facilitate their participation
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Faculty Development Committee
Faculty Development Committee
Purpose
The Faculty Development Committee consists of representatives from SOCHE member institutions and focuses on planning and evaluating professional development opportunities that address faculty issues. The committee explores important trends and issues of interest to higher education, discussing best practices on curricular, organizational development, and faculty development, in addition to their implementation on member campuses. The committee is responsible for selecting the faculty winners of the annual SOCHE Excellence Awards, in addition to facilitating special topics forums.
Online Faculty Development Resources
This page serves as a repository for member-recommended online resources that support teaching and faculty development.
“Preparing for Flexible Teaching” (University of Dayton)
“Academic Support – Professional Development” (Sinclair College)
“2020 Fall Faculty Professional Development Day Presentations” (Sinclair College)
“Teach Remotely” (Harvard University)
“Teachers Essential Guide to Zoom” (CommonSense.org)
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Financial Aid Committee
Financial Aid Committee
Purpose
The mission of the Financial Aid Committee of SOCHE is to foster financial aid on member campuses. Given the many social, economic and environmental challenges that face our campuses and the communities we serve, a transition to financial aid in operations and academics is imperative. As such, this committee has formed to address the complexities of creating meaningful, lasting change at our institutions.
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Library Council
Library Council
Purpose
The SOCHE Library Council seeks to be a networking community of library leaders committed to fostering the examination and discussion of library issues and trends for the benefit of its members.
Organization
Membership
SOCHE membership entitles an institution to full participation in the Library Council, which is comprised of the library directors/chief librarians (or designees) appointed from member institutions.
Activities
The Council shall regularly hold meetings and events consistent with its purpose. To accomplish its purpose, the Council may host speakers at professional development events and/or participate in other SOCHE events and conferences. The Conference Planning Committee shall meet with a frequency necessary to carry out its responsibilities in planning the event.
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, council information, and to join this council.
Public Relations & Marketing Committee
Public Relations & Marketing Committee
Purpose
The Public Relations and Marketing Committee:
- Develops strategies to advance the value of regional higher education and an understanding of the significant contributions to economic and community development
- Identifies trends and issues that affect other SOCHE councils and committees and higher education in general
- Positions SOCHE to respond to these trends and issues in the appropriate context
- Provides a forum for sharing, networking, and joint opportunities to meet with colleagues, media representatives, and community leaders on topics pertinent to higher education
- Occasionally hosts and participates in specified professional development activities
- Advances and assists in marketing the major programs of the consortium, including Cross Registration, Degree Finder, professional development activities, student-centered events, and related activities
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Retention and Completion Committee
Retention and Completion Committee
Mission
The primary objective of the Retention and Completion Committee is to provide a forum to share, discover, identify, and help develop effective and strategic policies, practices, and processes that will enhance and support the student experience from admission to achievement of academic goals at SOCHE colleges and universities.
Purpose
The primary objective of the Retention and Completion Committee is to provide a forum to share, discover, identify, and help develop effective and strategic policies, practices, and processes that will enhance and support the student experience from admission to the accomplishment of academic goals at the SOCHE colleges and universities.
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Title IX Committee
Title IX Committee
Purpose
The purpose of our committee is to facilitate a forum to discuss current issues, trends, regulations, and best practices as it relates to Title IX regulations. Members shall gain value in their membership by establishing professional networks, sharing ideas, struggles, resources, and discussing programs.
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Mindy Claggett by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Veteran and Military Service Committee
Veteran and Military Service Committee
Committee Charge
Started in 2015, the Veteran and Military Service Committee is charged with educating, developing, and suggesting policy, programming and GI Bill related practices that support student veterans and military connected students transitioning to college, being successful during college, and successfully transitioning out of college. Our focus includes:
- Considering joint policy (suggestions/endorsements) that the group can take to their campuses
- Sharing resources for staff/faculty/administrators who work with veterans and active duty military
- Programs that support campus education about the needs of veterans
- Joint/shared programming among/between institutions
- Updates on benefit changes, best practices for benefit allocation
- Support for financial literacy education for student veterans
Scheduled Meetings
Contact Sandra Wild by phone at (937) 258-8890 or by email at sandra.wild@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates, committee information, and to join this committee.
Chair
Sam Surowitz
University of Dayton
Vice Chair
Seth Gordon
Wright State University
Women’s Center Committee
Women’s Center Committee
The Women’s Centers Committee is the first joint committee of the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities (GC3) and the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE). The committee gathers to network, share resources and best practices, and support each other in their campus and community efforts; in 2010, the Committee started publishing issue briefs.
The GC3/SOCHE Women’s Center Committee Goals are as follows:
- To provide opportunities for Women’s Center staff to meet on a regular basis and provide campus updates, exchange ideas and identify areas of common concern
- To serve as a resource for Women’s Centers in the region, state, and/or nation on an ongoing basis
- To identify and pursue 1-2 strategic initiatives for each academic year
- To create, analyze, and disseminate knowledge around existing data and data still needed to inform the work of Women’s Centers
Issue Briefs
Issue briefs are designed to provide background for topics related to women’s centers and their work; share the recommendations and/or discussions of the Committee; and discuss best practices for policy or practice. The audiences for the GC3/SOCHE Women’s Centers Committee issue briefs include our institutions, peer committees of SOCHE and GC3, the Ohio Board of Regents, the citizens of Ohio, and women’s centers across the nation, among others. Issue brief topics emerge from the quarterly meetings of the Committee.
- Ohio Women’s Centers: Statement of Philosophy (2010)
- Ohio Women’s Centers’ Reflections on Evaluation & Assessment (2011)
- Ohio Women’s Centers for the Twenty-First Century: Structural Issues and Trends (2012)
- Professional Staff Competencies in Women’s Centers (2013)
- Graduate Student Experiences through Assistantships in Campus Women’s Centers (2014)
Resources
National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA)
NWSA, a national professional membership organization, has a mission to “lead the field of women’s studies in educational and social transformation.” NWSA structure places women’s studies and women’s center professionals on equal footing. Women’s studies professionals are members of the Program Administration & Development (PAD) Committee; women’s center professionals are members of the Women’s Centers Committee (WCC). The WCC gained official committee status in 2005, and has Co-Chairs and an Advisory Council. The Web site has many relevant resources, including the NWSA Guide to Campus Women’s Centers, a searchable database about U.S. women’s centers.
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)
NASPA is the leading voice for student affairs administration, policy and practice and affirms the commitment of student affairs to educating the whole student and integrating student life and learning. NASPA members are committed to serving college students by embracing the core values of diversity, learning, integrity, service, fellowship and the spirit of inquiry. NASPA has 24 knowledge communities, one of which is Women in Student Affairs (WISA). WISA focuses on the specific needs of women in higher education and helps to support and promote the interests and concerns of women at all levels within student affairs.
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS)
CAS has been the pre-eminent force for promoting standards in student affairs, student services, and student development programs since its inception in 1979. For the ultimate purpose of fostering and enhancing student learning, development, and achievement and in general to promote good citizenship, CAS continues to create and deliver a dynamic and credible Book of Professional Standards and Guidelines and Self-Assessment Guides that are designed to lead to a host of quality-controlled programs and services. With the help of women’s center professionals from the NWSA Women’s Centers Committee, CAS recently updated its standards for “Women Student Programs and Services.”
Women’s centers located under Student Affairs are more likely to be held to these standards. Regardless of where your women’s center is located, the standards provide helpful information for creating, improving, and measuring women’s center success. The CAS guidelines can be downloaded from NWSA.
Women’s Resource and Action Centers List
WRAC-L is a national listserve and discussion forum for sharing of resources related to women’s centers. The list is open to the staff and affiliates of women’s centers, whether community-based or associated with schools, colleges or universities. Over 250 professionals participate in the listserv; the archives are public documents. Volume is 10-20 messages per week.
ACE Women’s Network Ohio
The ACE Women’s Network Ohio (ACE WNO) is a state affiliate of the ACE (American Council on Education) Women’s Network, and is composed of women administrators, faculty, and staff from colleges and universities across the state who are dedicated to the professional advancement of women. Through representatives, conferences, workshops, and other resources, the ACE WNO is committed to improving the status of women on its campuses and throughout higher education. In doing so, the ACE WNO supports the mission of the ACE Women’s Network.
The ACE Women’s Network Ohio is composed of institutional representatives who represent and serve as advocates for the interests of women’s leadership development and advancement in higher education at their institutions. Each institution in Ohio is asked to identify a woman administrator who will serve as an institutional representative. The ACE WNO Executive Board steers the organization.