Data Governance Committee (DGC)
Meeting Notes
March 6, 2014
Phone Conference and Blackboard 10:30am
*Highlighted = attended
Co-chairs
*Susan Maxwell
Clark College
*Carmen McKenzie
SBCTC
Business Affairs Commission (BAC)
Kevin McKay
Edmonds Community College
Linda Schoonmaker
Clover Park Technical College
Human Resources & Management Commission (HRMC)
*Bonnie Cauffman
Peninsula College
Information Technology Commission (ITC)
*Russ Beard (Mary Kay Wegner)
Bellevue College
*Sue Williamson
Skagit Valley College
Eva Smith
Edmonds Community College
Instruction Commission (IC)
Tom Nielsen
Bellevue College
*Peter Lortz
North Seattle
Public Information Commission (PIC)
*Sherry Nelson
SBCTC
Janelle Runyon
SBCTC
Research and Planning Commission (RPC)
*Cynthia Requa
Green River
*Hal Royaltey
Peninsula
Student Services Commission (WSSSC)
Ata Karim
Bellevue College
*Dave Paul
Skagit Valley College
Next Meeting:
Thursday April 17, 2014 10:30am phone and blackboard
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DGC Meeting 03_06_2014
Meeting Notes:

Introduce - our newest members
o Dave Paul – representing Student Services. He is the liaison to ARC and joins us from
Skagit Valley.
o Katie Rose – representing Public Information. She will be replacing Sherry Nelson and
comes to the SBCTC from Green River.

Data Alert update
o Carmen discussed the recommendations in the Communication Map which was created
by a subcommittee or DGC. The Communication Map addressed some system level
issues around information flow regarding data.
o The DGC has suggested some communication strategies to SBCTC to help ensure better
communication about data changes, as all data changes flow from the SBCTC. These
changes would only impact how SBCTC communicates out their changes, and create a
central place for people to find information regarding data.
o A DataAlert Listserve will be created by SBCTC along with a generic email account
something like DataAlert@sbctc.edu. All applicable listserves will be subscribed to this
one and will be open to anyone else who would like to receive alerts about data.
o Carmen has spoken to most of the Deputy Directors at SBCTC and they approve of the
proposal. Once she has approval from everyone she will move forward.
o A concern was raised about the impact of this new listserve. After it has been functional
for 6 months DGC will evaluate the impact.
o A question was asked about the ability for people to choose data topics and only receive
email tagged with those topics. However, our current listserve does not support this
functionality.
o Carmen would like to have this system up and running to be able to send a data alert
about the HS21 code.

Exit code vote
o IC – voted to approve the proposal
o WSSSC – voted to approve the proposal
o WEC - reviewed and approved of the proposal
o RPC – will review it at the upcoming winter meeting
o
o
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Question asked about the impact on Perkins. These more detailed codes can still be
rolled up into the same reporting structure.
DGC is ready to vote on this proposal. Since the listserve can only be set to reply to
sender or reply to the listserve we will leave it to reply to the listserve. For the vote
Susan will email each member so they can respond directly to her and not have any
problems with a vote accidentally going out to everyone. One vote per commission with
Carmen casting the vote for SBCTC.
DGC Meeting 03_06_2014

Prior learning update
o Even though IC is working on the policy piece of Prior Learning, ARC wanted to ensure
there was a standard procedure for coding all of the prior learning especially since some
of this coding is already taking place.
o The Extra-Institutional Learning section including CBE, CRT and OCW is back in the
proposal even though these are being discussed as a part of the discussion on
competence based degrees. ARC indicated that they believed these needed to be
included in the coding procedures and IC agreed.
o To address the presidents’ concerns that these credits look like any of their credits on a
transcript, and accreditation concerns only the CRT will need to be identified as being
competency based assessment on the student transcript.
o ARC has finalized all the changes and is comfortable with the proposal.
o Carmen will prepare a DGC system announcement that all DGC members can send to
their commissions and councils for review. This will ensure that all commissions are
aware of this proposal and have opportunity for input.
o IC will vote on this proposal at their spring meeting - so we need feedback prior to that
meeting.
o Once IC approves it will come to DGC for a final vote. Then SBCTC will send out the Data
Alert, in addition to individual commissions sending out whatever information they feel
their members need.
o This is scheduled for a summer implementation – consistent with our Guiding Principles
in Data Management: Implement changes at the beginning of the academic or
fiscal year whenever possible.

Carmen commented on the benefits she saw of having the DGC involved in the Prior Learning
code discussion and how our involvement has helped move this project forward.

International student flag update
o This is a derived data element – from the Citizen status code. However, it also requires
review and updating based on the federal codes for non-citizen visas.
o Carmen has been reviewing for PeopleSoft implementation.
o We have a need for non-resident alien – used by IPEDS and to exclude from SAI data.
o However, this gets confused with the students in the International Program (F1 and M1
visas only).
o Carmen asked RPC data stewards to review and receive some input that maybe some
updates are needed.
o This brought up the question of how to identify data elements which are dependent on
code which come from elsewhere and ensuring they get updated and also noting the
root source of the data (zip codes, cip codes, visa codes, etc.)
o Determined a need for a work group to look at what is needed. Groups to involve are
WSSSC, HR, and RPC at a minimum.
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DGC Meeting 03_06_2014

Possible upcoming data governance work:
o Dist_ed field. Currently SBCTC uses the first digit and colleges are allowed to use the
second digit. Most of the Data Governors on the call indicated their college used the
second digit. The eLearning council would like to use the second digit for some other
use. This is stored in the SBCTC_Misc_1 field.
o Discussed when this field started to be used, and recently when it was updated, were
colleges told they could use the second digit for their own use? If so then it does not
seem right to then mess up systems they have put in place.
NOTE: From the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges eLearning
Course Coding to Implement Summer 2010 document “Colleges may desire to
use the second character to provide more definitive coding for local use. If this
is a procedure that your college would like to use, please use refinements that
fit within the major, first-character categories.“
o A concern was raised that this request was coming from a council and that it should be
brought through the commission.
o Discussed what the People Soft options are for recording this information – is there a
different way to think about collecting this information?
o
o
Continuing ED – will be a career in People Soft. We need a standard definition of what
“Continuing Ed” is. Sometimes it is synonymous with “self support” or “community
service” or “non-credit” or “non award- seeking”. Carmen would like to retire the term
“community service” .
Noted that we need to see what terms are used in People Soft related to this career.
Data Governors to do
Forward – system announcement from Carmen on prior learning coding

Data Governors forward to commissions and councils they feel are needed. Carmen will prepare
a DGC system announcement that all DGC members can send to their commissions and councils
for review. This will ensure that all commissions are aware of this proposal and have
opportunity for input.
Vote – on Exit code proposal that Susan will email (smaxwell@clark.edu).
Review – International student codes and determine if your commission is Accountable or should be
Consulted or simply Informed.
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DGC Meeting 03_06_2014