There are many acronyms used in higher education, and Ridgewater College is no exception. Following is a list of acronyms and abbreviations used in the College and a brief explanation of their meanings.

In most cases, acronyms are spelled the first time they appear in the Systems Portfolio document, and are then abbreviated subsequently. If you as a reader come upon an acronym or abbreviation that is not identified, please refer to this list. If you do not find it on this list, please use the feedback mechanism to let us know that the acronym needs to be identified.

AASC - Academic Affairs and Standards Council. A committee whose structure and activity is defined in the faculty bargaining agreement. Comprised of both management and faculty. The committee reviews all proposals regarding academic affairs and standards and makes recommendations to the College President. The council is based on the premise that faculty have fundamental responsibility in matters affecting the academic well-being of the institution.

ABE - Adult Basic Education. The mission of this program is to provide instruction in the basic skills of reading, writing, and math to adult learners in order to prepare them for transitioning into the labor market or higher education.

ACT - American College Test. An assessment taken by students as a precursor to college/university admission. Being an open enrollment institution, Ridgewater College does not require the ACT or SAT college admission test.

ACCUPLACER CPT - Computerized Placement Test given to incoming liberal arts and sciences students to ensure they are enrolled in appropriate level courses.

ACE - American Council on Education.

ACT - American Collegiate Testing. A placement testing service.

AD - Athletic Director.

AFSCME - American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. One of the several bargaining units at Ridgewater College, representing primarily support staff positions such as administrative assistants and custodial positions. 

AG - Attorney General. See OAG/AGO.

AHIMA - American Health Information Management Association. In association with CAHIIM (Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education), is the accrediting agency for Ridgewater College's Health Information Technician program.

AP - Advanced Placement. A program that enables high school students to complete college-level courses for college placement and/or credit.

ATB - Ability to Benefit. A federal student aid eligibility criteria for postsecondary students who (a) do not have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent; and (b) are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in the state where the college is located. To be eligible to receive federal student aid, the law requires these persons to show that they have the ability to benefit from postsecondary education. To demonstrate this, they must pass an independently administered test approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

BAS - Bachelor of Applied Science. A four-year degree containing both general education and technical specialty courses designed to expand professional management and technology skills of students to meet the demand for better leadership of highly technical professionals in the workplace. There are several four-institutions into which Ridgewater's technical diplomas or degrees articulate directly [on a 2+2 basis] into a B.A.S. degree program.

BAT - Bachelor of Applied Technology. A four-year degree containing both general education and technical specialty courses designed to expand professional management and technology skills of students to meet the demand for better leadership of highly technical professionals in the workplace. There are several four-institutions into which Ridgewater's technical diplomas or degrees articulate directly [on a 2+2 basis] into a B.A.T. degree program.

CAAHEP - Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. This is the agency responsible for accrediting Ridgewater College's Medical Assistant program.

CAD - Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drafting. Ridgewater College has Computer-Aided Design programs at both its Hutchinson and Willmar campuses.

CAEL - Council for Adult and Experiential Learning

CAO - Chief Academic Officer

CCSSE - Community College Survey of Student Engagement. A survey instrument used nationally in two-year colleges to assess student engagement, a key indicator of learning, and therefore, of the quality of the institution. The survey asks questions that assess institutional practices and student behaviors that are correlated highly with student learning and student retention. Ridgewater College administered the CCSSE survey during Spring Semester, FY2008.

CEP - Concurrent Enrollment Program or Concurrent Enrollment Partnership. Ridgewater College began offering concurrent enrollment courses during FY2006, and is in the process of applying for accreditation by NACEP (National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships).

CFI - Composite Financial Index. A methodology used for creating one overall measurement of the College's financial health and performance over a three-year period of time, and measured against other institutions. The CFI is composed of four separate ratios. The four ratios are (a) Operating Margin ratio; (b) Primary Reserve ratio; (c) Return on Net Assets ratio; (d) Viability ratio.

CFO - Chief Financial Officer. The employee in a business or agency that has primary responsibility for the financial operations. Ridgewater College's CFO is Bob Haines, Vice President of Finance and Operations.

CFRE - Certified Fund Raising Executive. An internationally recognized certification requiring five years of fundraising experience, as well as specific professional development/continuing education, service, and fundraising performance. The Executive Director of the Ridgewater Foundation attained CFRE certification during FY2008.

CHEA - Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

CIP - Classification of Instructional Programs. An instructional program classification system. Its purpose is to provide a taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate tracking, assessment, and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity.

CLEP - College Level Examination Program. A series of examinations in specific disciplines that allow students to receive college credit for prior learning experiences such as independent study, cultural pursuits, prior course work, on-the-job training, professional development, or internships. Examples of CLEP tests are English Literature, American Government, Natural Sciences, Principles of Macroeconomics, German Language, and Business Law. Ridgewater College accepts qualifying CLEP test scores, and is authorized to administer CLEP tests.

CNA - Certified Nursing Assistant

COA - Cost of Attendance. For federal student aid purposes, a student's total cost of attending a postsecondary institution for a specified period of time, as established by law. Includes tuition and fees; room and board (or allowance for housing and food); a reasonable cost for documented rental or purchase of a persona computer; an allowance for books, supplies, transportation, loan fees and dependent care; disability related expenses; and a one-time allowable cost of obtaining the first professional credential in a program requiring professional licensure or certification.

CST - Computer Systems Technology. A Ridgewater College program located at the Hutchinson campus.

D2L - Desire to Learn. A web-based instructional management software for online courses or web-enhanced courses, selected by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities for use in its institutions.

DARS - Degree Audit Reporting System. Software used as an advising tool for advisors and students. For each individual student, it shows the course requirements for the academic award toward which the student is working, as well as the requirements that have already been met. 

DEED - Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The State's principal economic development agency, which provides labor market information, operates the workforce centers and Minnesota Job Bank, offers information for starting businesses, and other resources in careers, job seeking, and training. Ridgewater College uses the agency primarily for labor market information.

DOE - Department of Education (U.S.)

DOER - Minnesota Department of Employee Relations. This agency has recently (2008) merged with the Minnesota Department of Finance, and is responsible for managing the financial affairs of the state as well as serving as Minnesota's human resource agency. Its mission is to ensure the integrity of state fiscal resources, support and challenge state decision-makers to constantly increase the value per dollar of services provided to Minnesotans, and assist and support all state agencies in personnel, insurance and labor relations issues pertaining to state employment.

EEOC - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency of the United States Government that enforces the federal employment discrimination laws.

EFC - Expected Family Contribution. A comparative measure, determined according to a need analysis formula, of how much a student and his or her family can be expected to contribute to the cost of the student's education for an award year.

ELL - English Language Learner. An acronym used to describe students whose first language is one other than English and who needs educational assistance to participate fully in the regular curriculum. The same students have, in the past, been referred to as LEP (Limited English Proficiency); ESL (English as a Second Language); and SLL (Second Language Learners). The "ELL" acronym recognizes that language learners have some prior knowledge and experience about language learning.

EMT - Emergency Medical Technician

ERIC - Educational Resources Information Center. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education to provide access to education literature and resources.

FAA - Financial Aid Administrator. An individual employed by an institution to administer federal student aid programs and to coordinate aid from these programs with the school's other student aid programs and a student's outside financial resources. At Ridgewater College, this person is Jim Rice.

FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student. A free application (online or paper) that is submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in order to receive financial assistance to attend college.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

FCI - Facilities Condition Index. One of the ten measures in MnSCU's Accountability Dashboard used to measure institutional performance.

FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. A federal law that protects the privacy of student education records, applying to all schools [including Ridgewater College] that receive funds under applicable programs through the U.S. Department of Education.

FSGC - Faculty Shared Governance Council. A committee whose structure and activity is defined in the faculty bargaining agreements. Has membership from both management and faculty, and is established to make recommendations to the College in the areas of personnel, student affairs, facilities, fiscal matters and general matters.

FTE - Full Time Equivalent. A common standard for measuring both enrollment and teachers in higher education, on an annualized basis. A FTE of 1.0 means an equivalent of one full-time student or teacher.

FYE - Full Year Equivalent. The measurement of full time students on an annualized basis. It is calculated by taking the total number of credits and dividing by 30.

GED - General Education Development. A high school graduation credential earned by passing a multi-part examination without having completed a traditional high school curriculum.

GPA - Grade Point Average. For specific information regarding Ridgewater College's policy on calculating grade point average, and other grading procedures, please consult the Ridgewater College Grading Policy.

HEAPR - Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement. Funds allocated by the Minnesota legislature to maintain safe, accessible and functional buildings on state-owned college campuses. A system started in the 1990s to set aside money specifically for basic repairs to address the list of building upkeep projects that outpace the colleges' ability to pay for them.

HLC - Higher Learning Commission. The commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) that accredits degree-granting higher education organizations.

HR - Human Resources

IEP - Individualized Educational Plan. A written statement for a student with a disability that is developed, at least annually, by a team of professionals knowledgeable about the student, as well as the parent(s). It describes the strengths of the student, the parents' concerns for enhancing the student's education, and how often services will be provided. This generally refers to educational levels prior to college, and often the IEPs are shared with the College's Director of Disabilities or other Student Service professionals at the time the student is admitted.

IPEDS - Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. The core postsecondary education data collection program for NCES. Data are collected from all primary providers of postsecondary education in the country in the areas of enrollment, program completion, graduation rate, faculty, staff, finances, tuition, and student financial aid. These data are made available to students, researchers, and others.

ISRS - Integrated Statewide Records System. An online information system used by all MnSCU institutions for student records, human resources and finance information

IT - Information Technology

ITV - Interactive Television. An alternative instructional delivery method used to connect college campuses.

LDA - Last Date of Attendance. Federal regulations require colleges to return financial aid for any recipient whose LDA occurs before his or her financial aid reward is fully earned. The LDA for students who officially withdraw is the same as the withdraw date. However, students who do not go through the official withdraw procedures [who simply "walk away" and subsequently earn a F or NC grade] require the college to determine the LDA in order to calculate the return of federal financial aid.

MAPE - Minnesota Association of Professional Employees. One of the several bargaining units at Ridgewater College, representing a wide variety of professional positions such as Information Technology Specialists, Program Directors, Customized Training Representatives, and others.

MAPS - Minnesota Accounting and Procurement System. Integrates the State's accounting and procurement functions into a single graphical interface.

MGDPA - Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Legislation that classifies various types of government data as other than public, and thus restricts access to that data in some way. It provides guidelines and procedures for government agencies such as Ridgewater College to follow in collecting and keeping records.

MJSP - Minnesota Job Skills Partnership. A program that awards grants to help Minnesota businesses and schools competitively train the workforce. The grants are given to educational institutions that partner with businesses to develop new-job training or training for existing employees. Ridgewater College has received multiple MJSP grants over the past several years.

MnQIP - Minnesota Quality Improvement Project. A group of AQIP colleges in Minnesota, composed primarily of MnSCU colleges and universities.

MnTC - Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

MSCF - Minnesota State College Faculty. The bargaining unit which represents all two-year college faculty in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. 

MMA - Middle Management Association. One of the several bargaining units at Ridgewater College, representing a variety of middle management positions including the College Registrar, Financial Aid Director, Director of Information Technology, Physical Plant Director, and several others.

MMDT - Multimedia Design Technician. A technical program located at Ridgewater's Hutchinson campus.

MN ONLINE - Minnesota Online. A gateway to thousands of online courses and online degrees and programs offered through MnSCU institutions.

MNSCU - Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. The governing agency for Ridgewater College.

MnTC - Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. A defined liberal arts and sciences transfer curriculum, which was designed to help students transfer their work in general education. Completion of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum at one MnSCU institution enables a student to receive credit for all lower division general education course upon admission to any other MnSCU institution. Students completing the curriculum are certified in ten goal areas by faculty at the sending institution.

NACEP - National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships.

NAICS - North American Industry Classification System. Ridgewater's Center for Customized and Continuing Education uses the NAICS code numbers to report its contract clients to MnSCU.

NATEF - National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation. An independent non-profit organization to evaluate technician training programs against standards developed by the automotive industry. This is the certification body for Ridgewater College's Auto Body Technician and Auto Mechanics Technician programs.

NCA - North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. One of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.

NCES - National Center for Education Statistics. Located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. It's the primary federal entity for colleting and analyzing data related to education.

NCLEX - National Council Licensure Examination (Nursing)

NDT - Nondestructive Testing Technology. A technical program located at Ridgewater's Hutchinson campus.

NCLEX - National Council Licensure Examination. The national examination for practical nurse and registered nurse licensure, taken by Ridgewater Nursing Pathway students upon graduation.

NIMS - National Incident Management System. While most emergency situations are handled locally, help from other jurisdictions or the state or federal government may be needed when there is a major incident. NIMS was developed so that responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines can work together better to respond to natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. Members of Ridgewater College's Emergency Response Team underwent the appropriate NIMS training in July, 2008.

NLN - National League of Nursing. The accrediting body for nursing education programs.

OCR - Office of Civil Rights. A division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and deals with civil rights. Civil rights includes, for example, freedom of speech, the right to vote, due process of law, equal protection of the laws, and protection from unlawful discrimination. Most often in the college environment, OCR is referred to in its role in enforcing civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, and religion, particularly as it relates to the hiring process.

OGC/AGO - Office of General Council. Legal services are provided to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities by the Minnsota Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the MnSCU Office of General Council (OGC). Each college in the system is assigned an assistant attorney general to serve as general counsel, available to assist with all legal matters. In addition, the AGO provides specialty legal services to the system includign employment law, contract, real estate, intellectual property, and financial issues.

PAS - Postsecondary Ag Student Organization. A national student organization with local Ridgewater chapters, providing opportunities to compete in skills contests and develop leadership abilities, technical competencies, strong personal ethics, life-long learning, and intellectual growth. 

PTK - Phi Theta Kappa. A student honor society for two-year colleges. Ridgewater College has chapters at both campuses.

POST - Peace Officer Standards and Training Exam. The examination required for licensure as a police officer in the State of Minnesota. A Ridgewater College degree in Law Enforcement with the skills component prepares a graduate for eligibility to take this exam.

PSEO - Post Secondary Enrollment Option. A program, offered through the Minnesota Department of Education, allowing high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to take courses at eligible postsecondary institutions [such as Ridgewater], and earn college credit while still in high school.

RFP - Request for Proposals. An invitation for suppliers, often through a bidding process, to submit a proposal on a specific product or service.

RMM - Raising More Money. A fundraising model used by the Ridgewater College Foundation which focuses on building lifelong relationships with donors who truly understand and support the institution's work.

SAP - Satisfactory Academic Progress. A satisfactory rate of student course completion determined using qualitative and quantitative measures. By law, schools whose students received Title IV funds must establish policies for monitoring satisfactory academic progress, [which Ridgewater College has done].

SAS - Statement of Affiliation Status. An official document that summarizes the status of the educational organization with the Higher Learning Commission.

SAT - Scholastic Aptitude Test. A college admission test administered by the College Board. It is generally taken by high school juniors and seniors as a precursor to college/university admission. It assesses a student's verbal, mathematical, and writing skills. Being an open enrollment institution, Ridgewater College does not require students to take the ACT or SAT test.

SCANS - Secretary's Commission on Advancing Necessary Skills. An inventory of skills needed to succeed in the workplace. A valuable source of information for educational institutions such as Ridgewater, for the purpose of incorporating these skills into the curriculum in order to prepare students for the workplace.

SCUPPS - State Colleges and Universities Personnel/Payroll System. An information system used to record specific personnel and payroll information and to process human relations and payroll transactions.

SEMA4 - Statewide Employee Management System. The State's payroll, human resources processing, payroll processing, benefits processing and report software.

SLOC - Student Learning Outcomes Committee. A committee composed of Ridgewater faculty, staff and administration which has as one of its goals to provide leadership and direction to faculty with regard to the student learning assessment plan and encourage the development of appropriate assessment activities in the classroom.

STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. A strategic planning tool.

TIAA-CREF - Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association/College Retirement Equities Fund. An array of financial products and services to help those in academic, medical, cultural and research fields plan and live in retirement.

TRIO - TRIO programs are federally-funded educational outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities. These programs fall under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. (Note: "TRIO" is not an acronym, i.e., the letters don't mean anything, other than when the program started, there were three principal programs, hence the word "trio". Other programs have since been added, and it has retained the TRIO name).

UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply. A device which maintains a continuous supply of electric power to equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available. Ridgewater's computers and telephone system are protected by UPS devices.

VoIP - Voice Over Internet Protocol. Also referred to as "IP Telephony" and sometimes "broadband telephony." VoIP services convert a person's voice to a digital signal and transmits it over the Internet. Overs significant cost savings over traditional telephony.

VTNE - Veterinary Technician National Exam. An national examination taken by Veterinary Technician graduates to assess the professional competency of veterinary technicians in terms of their qualifications to enter practice, providing a common standard in the evaluation of candidates that will be comparable from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Give Feedback...