Author: Ashlei Watson

International Student Services

The International Student Services Office (ISSO) is staffed by the Director, an Academic Advisor, and a part-time Coordinator. The ISSO is responsible for academic advising for undergraduate international students and all graduate student international exchange partnerships and student advising, as well as advising for all F-1 Visa and J-1 Visa International Students. The ISSO maintains (SEVI) Student and Exchange Visitor records and SEVP certification for the College and its students and offers programming.

On-campus programming includes orientation sessions for new international students, International Education Week activities; Student Ambassador Program, Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) information sessions; and other meetings/training for students when necessary.

The ISSO maintains and grows international partnerships with CCS including advising study abroad outgoing and incoming students. The office also assists with Faculty-Led Global Programs and the student Global Club.

The ISSO maintains the College’s international travel registry, as well as several related policies including Protecting CCS Students Abroad and the International High Risk Destination Travel Policy.

The ISSO is responsible for reviewing international student satisfaction surveys and developing strategies to address the needs revealed by those surveys as well as providing ongoing support services.

Please  find all policies for International Services and Study Abroad on the following pages:

Financial Aid

The Financial Aid Office is responsible for administering all federal, state, institutional, and private sources of financial assistance. This includes:

  • Counseling current and prospective students on the availability and terms of aid programs and assisting them in calculating their yearly out of pocket expense
  • Determining eligibility for need-based programs based on the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  • Applying scholarships awarded by CCS through the admissions process, competitions, sponsored projects in the classroom, and from third party donors
  • Processing student loan funds available through government and private sources and providing counseling regarding the rights and responsibilities of borrowers
  • Recalculating aid amounts based on changes to enrollment level, such as half-time or less than half-time enrollment
  • Coordinating the work-study/student employee program

Faculty are encouraged to direct students to the Financial Aid Office when they express financial concerns or are considering withdrawing for their course(s).  If faculty think the student’s situation needs immediate attention, they can contact the Financial Aid Director directly at 313-664-7497.

Residence Life

CCS offers students the option to live on campus in the Taubman Center and on the Ford Campus in the Art Centre Building. Approximately 610 students live on campus each year in the two buildings. The Director of Residence Life and the Residence Life Coordinators oversee the operation and management of the residence life program and 21 student staff members work as Resident Assistants in the buildings. The Residence Life staff works to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the residence halls. Staff are trained in educational programming, crisis response, conflict mediation, and similar skills to enable them to help students make the most out of their learning environment. Students must abide by both the CCS Code of Conduct, as well as the CCS Housing Policies and Regulations in addition to being full-time students to live on campus.

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Student Affairs

The Office of Student Affairs is overseen by the Dean of Students and includes Student Engagement, Housing and Residence Life, the Wellness Center, the Center for Tutoring and Writing and Dining Services.  The purpose of Student Affairs is to enhance the CCS educational environment through co-curricular programming and initiatives to engage the student body in learning and growth outside of the classroom.

Student Concerns Committee

The Student Concerns Committee (SCC) is an avenue for early communication for faculty and staff to raise concerns about College for Creative Studies students in a confidential environment. The information shared during the course of the SCC meetings is considered sensitive and is used as one tool to determine if, when, and how further intervention will take place with a student. This Committee is an information gathering body that is used to help maintain a safe and caring environment for all community members.  The SCC reviews all Academic Alert Referral forms to identify potential students of concern.

A cross section of personnel from the College serves on the committee to gather the broadest picture possible of a student of concern. At a minimum, representatives from Student Affairs, Academic Advising and Registration, Personal Counseling, and Center for Tutoring and Writing will participate in the SCC meetings with additional staff being invited as seen fit. The members of the SCC are encouraged to share information both personally collected and those concerns reported to them by other CCS personnel.

Some examples of concerns would be unusually withdrawn behavior, a dramatic change in mood, the student expressing loneliness or depression, or a recent and significant decrease in academic performance. Please keep in mind that the Student Concerns Committee is not an emergency response team. If an emergency arises, Campus Safety should be called. Information reported to the Committee is considered highly sensitive and will be shared only with those individuals at CCS who would be responding to the situation. To make a referral to the CTW, faculty can email either the Dean of Students or the Director of Counseling and Wellness Center.

Dean’s or President’s List

Undergraduate students who complete a minimum of 12 credits during any semester and who attain a grade point average of 3.50 to 3.799 are placed on the Dean’s List. Students who achieve a GPA of 3.80 or above are placed on the President’s List. A notation will be placed on the student’s transcript for each semester that Dean’s List status is achieved.

Waived Course

A required course may be waived by the Department Chair only. Waiving a course means only that the specific course is waived, not the credits attached to that course. The student must still plan to take a course to fill the credit deficiency. The Program Chair must complete a Curriculum Change form to indicate which course will replace the waived course. The Curriculum Change form is then submitted to the Academic Advising and Registration Office.

Registration Procedures

New Students

New students receive a letter welcoming them to the College along with their username and password. Students are sent electronic communication from their academic advisor with directions on how to register along with an academic evaluation. New Students are encouraged to register online  or in person with their Academic Advisor. Self-Service is a secure Web interface that allows students and faculty to access information contained in the College’s administrative database. For example, students can view their grades and transcript, search for open classes, view account balance information, and print degree audits. Faculty members can view their class rosters, their scheduled classes, student information, and enter grades.

Returning Students

Returning students are emailed an academic evaluation from the Academic Advising and Registration Office. The Advisor audits the student’s academic evaluation. If the student is on track with their academic program, they are free to register in person or on-line.  If the Advisor detects a concern with the academic evaluation, they place an advising hold on the student’s record. The student is then required to meet with their Academic Advisor to consult about their schedule. Once the hold is removed, the student may register online or at the Academic Advising and Registration Office. All students pay a $100 Registration Fee.

 

 

Salary

Salary for Full-time Faculty

Salaries are determined annually, based on the faculty member’s performance and on salary policies established each year by the Board of Trustees. Department Chairs, at the Graduate and Undergraduate Deans’ discretion, may be consulted in making salary recommendations. The Deans compile a set of salary recommendations for the faculty in their division that are submitted to the President for consideration and approval.  CCS is committed,  within the constraints of its budget, to recognizing excellent faculty performance through salary adjustments. Poor performance may be recognized through low or, if appropriate, no salary increases.

Pay Periods

All full-time faculty positions are classified as salaried and exempt. Salaried staff is paid twice per month (semi-monthly/24 checks) on the 15th and last working day of the month.

For Adjunct Instructors, pay is disbursed on the 15th and last day of each month. Adjunct instructors receive six payroll deposits in the fall semester, eight pays in the winter semester, and four pays in the summer semester.

Hourly staff and work-study are paid biweekly (26 checks). When biweekly employees receive three pays within a calendar month, benefits are not deducted from the third payment of the month.

If the regular payday falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, paychecks will be issued on the last workday before the regular payday.

Employees may elect to be paid via direct deposit or Wisely debit card; physical checks are not issued. Pay cannot be processed until the appropriate Human Resources forms are completed. Faculty can view their payroll information by logging into Self-Service and clicking on the Employees Menu link. For questions about Payroll, please contact the Payroll Coordinator at 313-664-7478.

Online access to pay information is available through the Self-Service link on CCS’s Access Manager page.

Deductions

CCS will withhold deductions required by law and all voluntary deductions authorized by the employee. Deductions required by law are federal, state, and local income tax; Social Security tax; Medicare tax; state disability; and unemployment tax. These deductions are made automatically. In addition, the employee may authorize voluntary deductions for health insurance, a tax-deferred annuity plan, and reimbursement accounts. It is the policy of CCS not to make any salary deductions that are inconsistent with the requirements of federal or state wage/hour laws.

Direct Deposit Banking

All employees must have their paycheck automatically deposited in the bank(s) or credit union(s) of their choice or on the Wisely debit card. The College’s Direct Deposit policy can be found in the Policy Database.

Advances

CCS generally does not authorize pay advances. Exceptions may be made for emergency situations and only with the approval of the employee’s immediate supervisor and the Vice President for Administration and Finance.

Annual Performance Evaluation

It is CCS’s goal to evaluate the performance of each full-time faculty member annually. The purpose of the evaluation is to provide the Department Chair and the faculty member an opportunity to review the faculty member’s work during the past year, to outline the strengths and weaknesses in the faculty member’s performance, to share concerns and criticisms, to lay out a plan for the faculty member’s work in the coming year, and generally to provide support, encouragement, and direction to the faculty member in the pursuit of excellence.

The annual performance evaluation procedure is as follows:

Faculty are evaluated on the basis of the work of the academic year that is concluding, including how they have addressed the expectations articulated in the evaluation of the previous academic year. The evaluation is based on the criteria established in Duties and Responsibilities of Full-Time Faculty.

The evaluation process consists of a meeting of the faculty member with the Department Chair at which the following written materials are discussed:

  1. An annual performance evaluation by the faculty member of their activities in the past year and plans for the coming year is submitted to the Department Chair at least two weeks before the scheduled review.
  2. A written appraisal of the faculty member’s performance is prepared by the Department Chair, or in the case of the Chair themselves, their Dean taking into consideration the faculty member’s annual performance evaluation. The Chair forwards their written appraisal to the faculty member at least a week before the scheduled review.
  3. Institutional student evaluations are consistent with the form approved by the Faculty Assembly and College administration.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Chair and faculty member sign the annual report and the Chair’s review, indicating that each party has seen and read each document, but not necessarily indicating agreement with the comments. The Department Chair and faculty member endeavor to complete this portion of the evaluation by June 1.

The Department Chair should forward all documents pertaining to the evaluation to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Studies. The faculty member should receive copies of all documents sent to the Dean, including the summary.  In the event that the faculty member disputes the evaluation, the faculty member and Chair should seek to resolve the disagreement. The faculty member may respond in writing to the review. The Chair may amend the annual appraisal in light of this discussion. If the disagreement cannot be resolved, the faculty member may ask, in writing, that the Dean review the evaluation and convene a meeting of the Chair and faculty member, after which the Dean will make a determination as to whether the evaluation should be modified. The Dean’s determination is final and will be made within 30 days of receiving the written request for review. However, the faculty member may bring to the Faculty Concerns Committee any grievances related to termination, contract non-renewal, or contract length reduction.

From time to time, faculty members may teach in departments other than the department to which they are appointed. It is important, in developing a complete picture of the faculty member’s performance, that the annual evaluation covers performance in these classes as well. In such cases, the Chair of the additional department should write a summary of the faculty member’s performance and submit it to the Chair of the faculty member’s home department for inclusion in their written evaluation.

The records of all faculty evaluations are maintained in confidential digital folders created by the Academic Affairs office. Faculty have the opportunity to add documentation to these folders during the reappointment/rank advancement process. The Academic Affairs Deans supervise the evaluation process and ensure that the procedures described in the Handbook are followed.  It is the responsibility of the faculty member to ensure that their file is up to date when up for renewal. The Dean of Academic Affairs establishes procedures for the maintenance and use of the faculty files, including who has access to them and for what purposes.