Lansing Community College
Procedure Details

Procedure Title: Faculty Qualifications – Establishment and Verification of Individual Minima
Procedure #: AA.004
Revision #: 004

Unit Responsible: Academic Affairs
Individual Responsible: Academic Affairs

Effective Date: 04/26/2024
Initial Approval Date: 01/25/2019
Last Review/Update Date: 04/26/2024
Next Review Date: 04/01/2027

*Does this procedure support a Board Policy? Yes
If yes, identify: 3.160-Program Review

Board policies can be found at: LCC Board of Trustees Policy Page

*Does this procedure support HLC criteria? Yes
If yes, identify: 3C

HLC Criteria can be found at: HLC Accreditation Criteria

*Does this procedure support a State or Federal Regulation? No
If yes, identify: N/A

*Note: Standard Operating Procedures should be in furtherance of some LCC policy and/or accreditation criteria, even if the relationship is not direct. Assistance in determining this information can be obtained from the Academic Procedure Advisory Committee (APAC) and/or the Accreditation Liaison Officer.

Faculty Qualifications – Establishment and Verification of Individual Minima, BP 3.160

1. Purpose

To establish a process by which to establish minimum faculty qualifications to teach at the institution.


2. Scope

Applies to any faculty member, whether full-time, part-time, or adjunct, who wishes to teach a credit-bearing course or developmental courses.


3. Prerequisites

The requirements for minimum qualifications of faculty were established in 2016 and amended in 2018 to include equivalent experiences and alternative credentials. See procedure for specific requirements.

In the 2015 – 2016 Academic year, program/department heads reviewed all courses offered by Lansing Community College (LCC), regardless of type or modality, to define appropriate qualifications for teaching each course. Administrators collected input from faculty, who reviewed the learning outcomes from each course and recommended to Academic Affairs the minimum qualifications to teach the courses. This information was reviewed and is maintained by the Academic Affairs Office.

For purposes of establishing minimum faculty qualifications for each course, the courses were organized into the following categories:

  1. General education and transfer courses that typically and readily transfer into bachelor’s degree programs.
  2. Career, Technical and Occupational courses from occupational programs in Arts & Sciences (A&S), Health & Human Services (HHS), and Technical Careers (TC).
  3. Performance courses, for example, Art, Music, Dance, Theater, etc.
  4. Performance courses in non-performance programs (for example, creative writing courses in ENGL).
  5. 3rd Party Accreditation courses that lead to certification or licensure (primarily in occupational programs, for example, many programs in HHS and TC).
  6. ESOL and Developmental courses in mathematics, reading, and writing.
  7. Non-credit courses conducted through Community Education & Workforce Development (CEWD).


4. Responsibilities

Minimum qualifications needed to teach a course are established by the program faculty with the approval of Academic Affairs. Determination of a faculty member’s qualifications is done in partnership between lead faculty/program faculty chairs and the Academic Affairs Project Manager (AAPM).


5. Procedure

Material to be submitted to begin verification of individual faculty qualifications:
An unofficial or official academic transcript, results of evaluation of foreign credentials, or portfolio for alternative credentialing must be submitted with an application for employment for each new full-time, part-time, or adjunct faculty position.

  1. Official Academic Transcript: an academic transcript is official if, and only if, it is forwarded directly from a nationally or regionally accredited college/university as recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Transcripts must be sent in a sealed envelope to the Human Resource Department (HR) or delivered via acceptable electronic method.

    In all cases, the transcript, envelope, and other transmittal information should be attached, indicating the date of receipt, and submitted to HR to be logged in and included in the applicant’s personnel file.
  2. Foreign credentials must be evaluated in terms of U.S. equivalency by a foreign credential evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Results of the evaluation must be sent directly to Human Resources (HR) from the evaluation service.
  3. Alternative Credentials: under special circumstances, the applicant may have experiences that clearly contribute to the student learning outcomes for a specific course and that can be considered in lieu of normal academic preparation. (See Establishment of Minimum Faculty Qualifications for a Course Procedure, Board Policy 3.160)

Applicable equivalent experiences that may be used toward qualifying a faculty member who holds a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree outside of the content area and wishes to teach general education courses or in transfer programs may be found in the Establishment of Minimum Faculty Qualifications for a Course Procedure.

Applicable equivalent experiences that may be used toward qualifying a faculty member who holds an Associate degree and wishes to teach in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs can be found in the Establishment of Minimum Faculty Qualifications for a Course Procedure.

Applicable equivalent experiences that may be used toward qualifying a faculty member who holds less than an Associate degree and wishes to teach in CTE programs can be found in the Establishment of Minimum Faculty Qualifications for a Course Procedure.

Establishment and Verifications of Faculty Qualifications:

  1. Job Descriptions Development and Approval Process
    1. Prior to any faculty position posting, HR submits the position job description to the AAPM for review.
    2. The AAPM verifies that the educational credentials, alternative credentials and/or equivalent experiences listed on the job description match approved faculty qualifications on file and are in line with HLC expectations.
    3. The AAPM responds to HR with approval or recommended changes.
    4. If changes are necessary, HR facilitates corrections with the search committee.
  2. Candidate Qualification Review Process
    1. The search committee sends an email via AA-Faculty-Qualifications@star.lcc.edu to the AAPM and the Academic Affairs Project Coordinator (AAPC) with copies of the candidate’s transcripts (unofficial transcripts are accepted at this point in the process), licensures/certifications, and job posting.
    2. HR reviews each candidate’s resume to verify job experience if equivalent experience is being used to satisfy credential requirements.
    3. The AAPC logs the information received to the Candidate-Qualifications spreadsheet, located in the N: drive workspace.
    4. The AAPM reviews the transcripts, along with the resume and job description if needed, to determine if the candidates meet the educational qualifications.
    5. The AAPM will reply with an email to the search committee regarding final determination and copy the AAPC.
    6. The AAPC will then update the Candidate Qualifications spreadsheet with the teaching qualification eligibility and the date HR was notified.
  3. Final Review of a Candidate’s Qualification
    1. Upon receipt of the official transcript, HR will email the AAPM that the transcript has been scanned and is ready for review in the HR workspace, Transcripts Received.
    2. The AAPC will update the faculty qualifications spreadsheet with this information. The faculty qualifications spreadsheets are located in the N: drive workspace called Fac Elig to Teach.
    3. The AAPM reviews the transcripts along with the resume and job description, if needed, to determine if the official transcript received is accurate and in line with the initial credentials approved.
    4. The AAPM notifies HR via email regarding the accuracy of the official transcript on file, and indicates language that should be included in the published Faculty Directory.
    5. The AAPC will update the faculty qualifications spreadsheet with this information. The faculty qualifications spreadsheets are located in the workspace at N:\AA-Division\Div-Office\Faculty Member Qualifications\Fac Elig to Teach\Interview Candidates\Candidate-Qualifications.xlsx.
    6. If the official transcript does not reflect what is recorded in the faculty qualifications spreadsheet, a new determination will need to be made of the employee’s qualifications and a revised letter sent to the faculty. Follow steps 2.c.-2.f. above.
  4. Upon successful completion of steps 1-3 above, the Dean or designee verifies what courses the faculty is eligible to teach.

Appeal Process

  1. If faculty members wish to appeal the decision above or be reviewed so that they may teach additional courses, they must follow the appeal process described below.
    1. If a faculty member does not agree with their qualifications as determined, they can submit an appeal using the form called Appeal Eligibility. An explanation of what is required for the appeal is in the N: workspace called Guidelines for Appeal of Teaching Eligibility.
    2. After the form is completed and signed by the supervisor and Dean, it is sent to Academic Affairs for review. The AAPM, along with the Provost if needed, will review the additional information received to determine if the qualifications can be changed. A decision letter must be sent within 10 working days.
    3. If the faculty member’s qualifications can be changed, the AAPM informs HR, Dean, and faculty member. The AAPC will update the appropriate spreadsheet.
    4. If the faculty member’s qualifications cannot be changed, the AAPM informs HR, Dean, and the faculty member with an explanation of the reason(s) for denial. If desired, the AAPM will meet with the faculty member and supervisor and explain the reasoning for the denied appeal. A hard copy of a letter stating the appeal has been denied will be provided for the faculty member.
    5. The paper copy of the appeal and related documents is maintained in the Academic Affairs office.
  2. If a faculty member receives a new degree, the faculty member will notify HR and AAPM to have their qualifications reviewed for the possibility of additional teaching qualifications, in accordance to the process described in 3 above.


6. Reference

N/A


7. Definitions

N/A