Academic Affairs

The Office of Academic Affairs provides oversight and leadership for all credit-bearing academic programs, instruction, and support services at all College locations, including online.  

Activities and areas of responsibility include oversight of curriculum, planning, budget administration, staffing, professional development for faculty and professional staff, development of degree and certificate programs, and various professional accreditations.

The fundamental goal of the Office of Academic Affairs is to promote student learning by fostering excellence in teaching and an environment that promotes individual students to develop into critical thinkers and autonomous learners.

Organization of Academic Affairs

In order to meet the demands of our students and to build a sustainable structure, Academic Affairs will be organized under four academic schools headed by Academic Deans starting Fall 2025:

1. School of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Education Programs
2. School of Health Professions Programs
3. School of Language, Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Programs
4. School of Business, Industry and Career Programs

Within each school, department chairs will support student learning through degrees as academic programs that are aligned with industry needs, transfer outcomes and skill-based documentation through a series of educational opportunities.

Academic Services that are accessed by students regardless of where they learn are now organized under an Executive Dean who provides support for Experiential Education, Credit for Prior Learning and Competency Based Education, Online Learning, Campus Locations and Curriculum Engagement.

All Deans report through the office of Academic Affairs to the Chief Academic Officer who reports directly to the President of the College.

This Academic Affairs organizational chart is provided for better understanding, recognizing that roles and reporting structures are prone to adjustment and changes.

Additionally, Academic Affairs has recently focused our efforts on the establishment of clear charges, parameters and recommended cadences associated with meetings that are central to our work. To support this effort, we have created a comprehensive guidebook outlining all meetings hosted by or through Academic Affairs.

This resource provides helpful definitions and charters for each meeting, along with recommended frequency, duration, and any contractual attendance considerations. While it is designed to be as complete as possible, we recognize the need for flexibility and continuous improvement. The guidebook will be updated annually before the start of the fall semester, and we welcome feedback for future iterations.

Not every meeting that occurs at the college is included; rather, the guidebook focuses on those that fall within the Academic Affairs reporting structure, with space for additional meetings as needed.

We hope this guidebook serves as a practical resource and reflects our ongoing commitment to providing clarity, consistency, and support in advancing the success of our students and faculty.

Guidebook for Academic Affairs Meetings 2025-2026. 

Academic Freedom Policy

90% completed

The Academic Affairs office is driving the adoption of a shared policy on Academic Freedom to ensure adequate faculty protection of first amendment related rights in the classroom.

Course Audits

30% completed

We have reviewed course listings for credit to contact hour conversion, course descriptions, semester credit hours, and work area attribution and are in the process of updating College information, resources, and guidelines accordingly.

Align General Studies and Liberal Arts program offerings

95% completed

We are evaluating the General Studies and Liberal Arts programs for overlap and aligning programs to support student pathways.

Integrate Learning and Employment Record

80% completed

We are working on integrating SmartResume as a LER that will allow for student learning to be documented at the learning outcome or skill level through Canvas.

Bachelor's Degrees

60% completed

The goal of this endeavor is to develop and gather approvals for bachelor degree programming in Nursing and Elementary Teacher Education Certification.

Hiring Enrollment Specialist for Dual Enrollment

20% completed

The College is in the process of posting a new position to support Dual Enrollment, Early College, and High School solutions.  This position will support the student admission and enrollment process in collaboration with SSEM.

Hiring Dean of Language, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

60% completed

The college is in the process of identifying our next leader for the School of LAHSS.  This leader will support academic programing designed for transfer within degree offerings.

Hiring Dean of Business, Industry and Career Programs

30% completed

The college is in the process of identifying our next leader for the School of Business, Industry, and Career Programs.  This leader will support program offerings that lead to employment and transfer.

Equity Commitment

Bristol Community College's academic programs strive to provide equitable educational opportunities to all students and create a sense of belonging. We engage students in rigorous learning, striving to transform attitudes and beliefs to position our students to become agents of change and serve as leaders in our communities.

 

Helpful Links & Forms

• Academic Calendars
• Academic Directory
• Academic Policies
• Commonwealth Honors Program‌
• Course Catalogs
• Phi Theta Kappa (PTK)
• Student Handbook

 

Academic Affairs Contact Information

 

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