OAR 715-045-0013: Program Advisory Committees

(1) The school shall appoint and utilize a program advisory committee for each program being offered. If the school programs are in the same or similar vocational areas, the same advisory committee can be used for all related programs. (2) Each committee shall be composed of not less than three members, knowledgeable in the occupational area being offered by the school and who are not employees of and have no financial interest in the school and who are not related to the owner(s) or administrator(s). When a program or curriculum is regulated, approved or certified by a state agency or Oregon State licensing board other than the Higher Education Coordinating Commission as identified in OAR 715-045-0014, that program or curriculum is exempt from the advisory committee requirement. (a) A list of the program advisory committee members and a resume of each shall be furnished to the Commission. The list and resumes shall include each member's name, address, telephone number, present occupation and training experience; and (b) The membership of the program advisory committee shall include: (A) At least three members employed in the occupation served by the program, one of whom shall be employed or working in a supervisory capacity, and (B) Each of the three members shall have at least two years’ experience in the occupation or industry. Other members having less experience may be added to the committee as desired. (3) All program advisory committees must officially meet at least one time per year to review school policies, facilities, instructional materials, equipment, curriculum standards and technical updating: (a) The program advisory committee shall meet to evaluate all new proposed program offerings and whenever the school proposes major revisions in existing programs. At least one such meeting per year shall be at the school. The following criteria will be used to determine what constitutes a major program revision: (A) A change of 25% or more of the previously approved contract hours, credits, curriculum content (courses offered), or program length, or (B) A change in academic measurement from clock-hours to credit-hours or vice versa, or a change from quarter or trimesters to semester credits or vice versa, or (C) Any additions or deletions of courses offered that might change the overall objective of a currently approved program; (b) Minutes of all program advisory committee meetings shall be on file in the school office. A copy of the committee findings or recommendations, if any, shall be included with the annual license renewal application; and (c) If the school's report of enrollments, completions, retentions and placements, as prescribed in OAR 715-045-0062(3), does not provide information that the school is meeting the provisions of ORS 345.325, the commission’s executive director may call for the school to convene the program advisory committee(s) for program evaluation(s) as prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subsection.