Community College Terms & Acronyms
Adapted with permission from Lane Community College's Faculty Connections: https://www.lanecc.edu/facultyconnections/community-college-terms-acronyms
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
AAC&U
American Association of Colleges and Universities
AACC
American Association of Community Colleges A national voice for two-year associate
degree granting institutions. Provides services, training and publications for community
colleges.
AAOT
Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer
AAUP
American Association of University Professors
AAWCC American Association of Women in Community Colleges An organization whose mission is to inspire, champion, and celebrate the talents within each of us. AAWCC provides publications and events geared specifically to the needs of women who are community college staff or board members.
ABSE
Adult Basic Skills & Secondary Ed.
ACCT
Association of Community College Trustees A national organization that represents
the officials who govern community, technical and Junior colleges in the United States
and abroad. ACCT provides information, training and publications.
Adult Literacy/Basic Skills(ABE/BSD)
Community colleges' family literacy, workplace literacy and English language programs
that provide assistance to adults needing basic math, reading and computer skills.
State supported Adult Skill Centers furnish additional services such as one-to-one
tutoring, referrals, assessments and work-centered instruction.
AFT
American Federation of Teachers (see OFTEHP)
Annexation
Joining areas of the state not in a community college district to a community college
district. Requires votes of existing district plus new areas as well as State Board
of Education approval.
ASLCC
Associated Students of LCC
ATC
Academic Technology Center
Bonds
Speculators buy bonds because they can usually get a good interest rate of return
on their money. Bonds are sold for cash to build projects such as new community college
facilities.
CCWD
Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development Formerly known as the
Office of Community College Services (OCCS). CCWD is a state agency with direct responsibility
to the State Board of Education. The CCWD is responsible for submitting the community
college biennial budget to the governor.
CEUs
Continuing Education Units
CIA
Oregon Council of Instructional Administrators/Chief Academic Officers The group
of community college instructional deans and vice presidents from the transfer and
technical programs. It is concerned with planning and exchanging information.
Community College Presidents' Council
Consists of all 17 Oregon community college presidents.
Co-op, Co-op Ed.
Cooperative Education
CPI
Consumer Price Index (There are several indices.)
CSSA
Council of Student Services Administrators The group of community college deans
and vice presidents concerned with student services. It plans and exchanges information.
Current Service Level (CSL)
Each legislative session, community colleges are presumed to be allowed a certain
margin to increase the base funding for inflation. Current service level is supposed
to include the amount required to cover the cost to run the institutions.
Distribution Formula
The formula that distributes most state funding and one-half local property taxes
to community colleges. The formula is an administrative rule approved by the State
Board of Education.
ESD
Education Service District
ESL/IESL
English as a Second Language/International ESL
Equalization
Community colleges have developed a distribution formula to equalize the distribution
of state funds.
Faculty Forum
A college-wide faculty governance body, usually with well-defined relationship
to the faculty's collective bargaining organization.
FEC
Fitness Education Center
FERPA
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
FTE (Staff)
Full-time equivalency Used to describe the workload of staff (one regular full-time
employee = 1 FTE; one half-time employee = .5 FTE).
FTE (Student)
Full-time equivalency Used to measure student enrollment for purposes of state
reimbursement. One FTE equals 510 student contact hours in CCWD designated courses.
GED
General Education Development
HECC
Higher Education Coordinating Commission
JTPA
Job Training Partnership Act Federal law that generates funding for workforce-related
programs in each state. In Oregon, JTPA staff is a part of the Department of Community
Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD).
Local option
Local option authority is the ability for a taxing district to levy over the Measure
5 permanent rate limits but remain below the Measure 5 limits of $5 per $1,000 of
market value. Since Measure 50 limits growth of assessed value to three percent per
year and since Measure 5 does not limit the growth of the market value of property,
the gap between the two rates will increase significantly over the years.
Measure 5 gave local option authority, or the ability to access that gap, to all
local governments except school districts and Education Service Districts (ESDs).
The Legislature limited community colleges' local option authority.
NEA
National Education Association
NWAACC
Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges
OAR
Oregon Administrative Rule These are the regulations issued by state agencies
in order to implement and define statutes (also see ORS).
OATC
Oregon Advanced Technology Consortium A facility operated by a consortium of Oregon
community colleges. OATC provides training and equipment access for high-technology
manufacturing enterprises.
OCCA
Oregon Community College Association A membership organization of the 17 community
colleges whose mission is to advocate, communicate and collaborate in order to strengthen
community colleges for the benefit of all Oregonians. OCCA is not a state agency.
OCCCIR
Oregon Community College Council of Institutional Researchers The statewide association
of community college institutional research staff. It meets to exchange information
and plan for future needs.
OCCDLA
Oregon Community College Distance Learning Association
OCCLA
Oregon Community College Library Association
OCCSA
Oregon Community College Students Association The statewide association of student
government leaders. It meets to exchange information and to engage in advocacy for
student interests. Formerly known as CCOSAC. (See also OSA.)
OCCURS
Oregon Community College Unified Reporting System The statewide community college
data collection and storage system based in the Department of Community Colleges
and Workforce Development (CCWD).
OCESP
Oregon Council for Education Support Professionals Represents classified employees
affiliated with the Oregon Education Association (OEA).
ODE
Oregon Department of Education Regulates K-12 and Education Service Districts
(ESDs) only.
OEA
Oregon Education Association The statewide union for public school teachers, community
college instructors, and education support professionals. The OEA is the state affiliate
of the National Education Association (NEA).
OEA Community College Council
The Council of OEA for community college faculty and classified support staff unions
affiliated with the OEA/NEA.
OEA RA
The OEA Representative Assembly, the yearly meeting of representatives of OEA affiliated
members local unions to conduct business of the state-wide OEA.
OER
Open Educational Resources Textbooks, course materials and learning objects that
are created by educators and licensed with the intent to share. Related to movements
for free and/or low-cost textbooks and course materials.
OFTEHP
Oregon Federation of Teachers, Education and Health Professionals A statewide
union for teachers, classified employees, health professionals and community college
faculty. OFTEHP is the state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
OICA
Oregon Independent Colleges Association
ONE
Oregon Network for Education ONE's web site (http://www.oregonone.org) serves
as an educational mall with "doorways" to Oregon's educational institutions, programs
and services.
OPTE
Office of Professional Technical Education Located within the ODE.
ORS
Oregon Revised Statutes The compilation of state laws, generally followed by a
number, as in ORS 341.009 (a reference to community college policy established by
the Legislature).
OSA
Oregon Student Association. This student advocacy group, which is based in OUS
colleges and universities, also serves some community college students.
OSAC
Oregon Student Assistance Commission Formerly known as the Oregon State Scholarship
Commission. OSAC is responsible for administering the state's student financial aid
programs including Opportunity Grants.
OSBA
Oregon School Boards Association OSBA aims to represent more than 1,400 locally
elected school board members for the K-12 districts, ESDs and the 17 community colleges
as well as the State Board of Education. OSBA provides information, training, legal
assistance and advocacy services for management.
OSBHE
Oregon State Board of Higher Education The Oregon State Board of Higher Education
governs the state's seven state-supported universities. The Oregon Health Sciences
University is an affiliated institution. The board establishes system-wide policy,
sets institutional guidelines, approves curricular programs, reviews and approves
budgets, and manages property and investments. With the assistance of the chancellor
and staff, the board ensures that the seven universities are administered in accordance
with approved policies, programs and budgets.
OSEA
Oregon School Employees Association A statewide union that represents classified
employees in local school districts and community colleges.
OUS
Oregon University System State agency that includes Oregon's seven state-supported
universities. Governed by OSBHE.
OSBHE/SBE Joint Board
A joint board for coordinated decision-making by the OSBHE and SBE.
PECBA
Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act The legal basis, established state-by-state,
for collective bargaining involving public employees particular to the state of Oregon.
Pell Grant
Pell is a form of federal financial assistance for college students, directed primarily
to serve low-income students.
PERS
Public Employee Retirement System The public retirement system for state, county,
municipal and other public employees, including community college employees.
Reimbursable FTE
Those community college courses approved by CCWD as eligible for reimbursement
by the state under the FTE-driven distribution formula.
SBDC
Small Business Development Center Local small business development centers, operated
mainly by community colleges but also at some other institutions for the purpose
of assisting small businesses.
SBE
(Oregon) State Board of Education A seven-member board, appointed by the governor,
the State Board of Education is responsible for setting state policy for public elementary,
secondary and community college education. It sets broad, general policies to guide
the programs in local school and community college districts.
SDA
Service Delivery Area A geographic region for JTPA services.
Stafford Loan
Formerly Guaranteed Student Loan. A federal program for financial assistance to
college students. Local banks actually loan the funds; the federal government guarantees
them.
STEM, STEAM, STREAM
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. A = Arts. R = Reading & Writing.
WIA
Workforce Investment Act Federal legislation to encourage workforce collaboration
for the consumer.
WICHE
Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education A 13-state commission created
by the Western Regional Higher Education Compact, dedicated to cooperation in the
sharing of higher education facilities and programs among the cooperating states.