A. The institutional media accurately describe the academic unit and each program offered, including admissions criteria, accreditation status, delivery systems used for instruction, minimum program requirements, matriculation requirements (e.g., examinations, academic-standing policies), and financial aid information.
The institutional media at The College of New Jersey that describes the academic unit and each program offered includes the Graduate Bulletin and the Department of Counselor Education website. The Graduate Bulletin provides information related to admissions criteria (p. 31), accreditation status (pp. 3 & 32), minimum program requirements (pp. 31-33), matriculation requirements (e.g., examinations, academic-standing policies) (pp. 9 & 14-20 & 31), and financial aid information (p. 11).
Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC)
The Department of Counselor Education website provides material related to the CMHC program, including a program description and information about program requirements and the delivery systems used for instruction in counselor education.
Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling and Therapy (MCFCT)
The Department of Counselor Education website provides material related to the MCFCT program, including a program description and information about program requirements and the delivery systems used for instruction in counselor education.
School Counseling (SC)
The Department of Counselor Education website provides material related to the SC program, including a program description and information about program requirements and the delivery systems used for instruction in counselor education.
B. The academic unit is clearly identified as part of the institution’s graduate degree offerings and has primary responsibility for the preparation of students in the program. If more than one academic unit has responsibility for the preparation of students in the program, the respective areas of responsibility and the relationships among and between them must be clearly documented.
The Graduate Bulletin of The College of New Jersey clearly indicates the Counselor Education program offerings on pages 31-33. The Department of Counselor Education has full responsibility for the preparation of students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, the Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling and Therapy program, and the School Counseling program.
C. The institution is committed to providing the program with sufficient financial support to ensure continuity, quality, and effectiveness in all of the program’s learning environments.
The following budget describes the institution’s financial commitment and support for the Department of Counselor and the CMHC, MCFCT, and SC programs in AY 2011-2012:
BUDGET
SALARIES AND WAGES 607, 920.56
Officers and Employees 42,577.94
Graduate Assistants 10,000.00
Adjunct Payment 119, 253.00
Overload Payment 6,440.50
Faculty 548,782.87
FRINGE BENEFITS 203,370.00
TOTAL STUDENT AIDE 3,626.14
TOTAL POOL 9,740.00
OFFICE RECEPTION 100.00
TOTAL EXPENSES 824,756.70
(Section D reports the School of Education allocations for additional travel.)
D. The institution provides encouragement and support for program faculty to participate in professional organizations and activities (e.g., professional travel, research, and leadership positions).
Support for program faculty to participate in professional organizations and activities is available through the Office of the Dean of the School of Education. Faculty who expect to travel for professional reasons submit their requests at the beginning of the academic year to the Dean of the School of Education through an on-line travel request system that is maintained by the office of Finance and Business Services. The following travel policy and procedures was approved by The College of New Jersey Board of Trustees on July 8th, 2008:
“It is the policy of The College of New Jersey that within budgetary limitations all reasonable costs for approved travel and related activities incurred by an individual engaged in College business shall be the expense of the College. All persons traveling on official College business are expected to exercise the same care in incurring expenses that a prudent person would exercise if traveling on personal business at his/her own expense.
“Reimbursable travel expenses are limited to those expenses essential to transacting the official business of the College and only if incurred in accordance with TCNJ approved regulations. Travel regulations shall apply to all employees and others authorized to travel on behalf of The College of New Jersey regardless of the source of funding. TCNJ travel regulations will be in conformance with the New Jersey State Code of Ethics and other state and federal laws as applicable. Reimbursement rates will be guided by, but will not exceed the most current Federal Guidelines.”
Over the past two academic years, figures for the School of Education travel budget were as follows:
FY 2010 – FY 2011………….. $42,500.00 for faculty and staff
………………………………………… $6,000.00 for academic student travel
FY 2011 – FY 2012………….. $43,827.87 for faculty and staff
………………………………………… $6,000.00 for academic student travel
During the same two-year period, funds allocated from the School of Education travel budget to support travel by faculty in the Department of Counselor Education were as follows:
FY 2010 – FY 2011……………. $6,000.00
FY 2011 – FY 2012……………. $6,900.00
Individual allocations for the Department (which are currently capped for AY 2011-2012 by the School of Education at $850/faculty member per year) were as follows:
FY 2011 – FY 2012 Allocations
Dr. Cavallaro…………………………. $850.00
Dr. Gibson……………………………. $850.00
Dr. Ramsey…………………………… $850.00
Dr. Seto……………………………….. $850.00
Dr. Woodford………………………..$850.00
During the 2011-2012 academic year, monies from the School of Education travel budget supported faculty travel to the following conferences:
- Annual Convention of the American Counseling Association
- Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference
- Association for Specialists in Group Work Conference
- National Psychotherapy with Men Conference
Additionally, stalled contract negotiations between the Union and the State on New Jersey have placed several important monetary supports for program faculty in jeopardy. For example, in recent years additional travel monies were available for faculty members who applied for grants from the campus-wide Career Development Committee. The committee encouraged applications for activities which:
a. developed the applicant’s abilities in a specific new career area, and/or
b. enabled the applicant to contribute to the college in new and enhanced ways, and/or
c. enabled the applicant to have a broad impact in a department, group, or the College
Applications could be made for release time and/or for travel expenses, tuition, registrations, fees and materials and supplies. However, this Career Development process is dependent upon contract negotiations.
Additionally, one of the standing committees of The College of New Jersey governance system, the Support of Scholarly Faculty Activities (SOSA) committee has operated as a peer-review board to recommend awards to support faculty research. The SOSA committee also oversees the sabbatical leave program of the College. In recent years, faculty became eligible for paid sabbatical leave after completing six consecutive years of service and could elect to take a leave for one semester or one academic year. The stipend for one semester was 75% of salary and for the full year was 50% of salary. Both SOSA and sabbatical programs are on hold at present due to pending contract negotiations with the State of New Jersey. The most recent sabbatical was taken by Dr. Woodford in the fall of 2010.
At present, all faculty at The College of New Jersey are working without a contract, and the Career Development Program, the SOSA and sabbatical programs, and any school-level mini-grants that have been offered in the past are being placed on hold. The state is currently proposing that this funding be a university level decision and not be negotiable with our collective bargaining unit.
E. Access to learning resources is appropriate for scholarly inquiry, study, and research by program faculty and students; and
F. The institution provides technical support to program faculty and students to ensure access to information systems for learning, teaching, and research.
DESCRIPTION OF LIBRARY SERVICES & RESOURCES
The College of New Jersey Library is housed in a five-story, 135,000 square-foot facility which opened in 2006. In addition to housing traditional library collections and services in an atmosphere that is inviting throughout, the building provides 26 group study rooms, a café, a late-night study area, and a 105-seat multi-purpose auditorium. The Library’s Lower Level offers two computer labs and an office of the Instructional Technology Services. ITS is a multi-purpose facility designed to assist students and faculty in developing instructional media and other course-related presentational materials.
TCNJ Library Mission Statement
The College of New Jersey Library, in support of the College’s mission, provides high-quality information resources, expertise and a learning environment that enhance the search for knowledge and understanding. The Library serves as an intellectual, cultural and social center for the College, empowering TCNJ community members to become self-directed, lifelong learners and responsible citizens.
In addition to graduate programs in Counselor Education, The College of New Jersey offers a variety of graduate degrees in education and nursing. Library materials collected in support of these related graduate programs enhance scholarly inquiry, study, and research.
COLLECTIONS
- BOOKS & MEDIA
The General Collection consists of more than 580,000 books and approximately 5000 e-books that have been selected by faculty and subject specialist librarians to support college course offerings and to provide a broad representative collection of titles across many disciplines. The Reference Collection numbers approximately 11,000 volumes and includes general encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, atlases, as well as a large collection of subject specific reference works, including publications by the American Counseling Association, such as The ACA Encyclopedia of Counseling, Licensure Requirements for Professional Counselors, and The Ethics Desk Reference for Counselors .
Faculty and graduate students may borrow books from the general collection for the entire semester.
The Children’s/Young Adult Collection includes books to support counseling/therapy with children and families in the areas of grief, divorce, substance abuse, etc.
Films to support all counselor education domains are available in the Media Services collection of nearly 15,000 films. A “Films” tab is included on the LibGuide (described in the “Research Instruction” section below) for each domain, which provides a list of the relevant films for that particular area.
- PERIODICAL
The TCNJ Library has access to over 40,000 periodical titles, which are available in a variety of formats: print, online, and microfilm/microfiche. Most journal content is available electronically and 2,000 journals are available in print. The periodicals collection includes the core titles of numerous disciplines and coverage supports the curriculum. Subject specialist librarians are responsible for development and dynamic maintenance of the periodicals collection.
Journal subscriptions may be searched by choosing the “Journal Titles” tab on the library homepage. Electronic journal content is available to all TCNJ users from off-campus.
Any journal articles not immediately available at TCNJ may be requested free of charge through the library’s InterLibrary Loan service.
ACA Publications Availability
| Journal of Counseling and Development | Electronic, Print |
| Journal of College Counseling | Electronic |
| Adultspan Journal | Electronic |
| Counselor Education and Supervision | Electronic |
| Counseling and Values | Electronic |
| The Career Development Quarterly | Electronic, Print |
| The Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling | Electronic |
| Journal of Employment Counseling | Electronic |
| Journal of Humanistic Counseling | Electronic |
| Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development | Electronic, Print |
- RESEARCH DATABASES
TCNJ Library provides access to major databases in the areas of education, psychology and the health sciences. These databases may be accessed by clicking on the “Articles” tab on the library homepage. The library subscribes to nearly 200 databases.
RESEARCH INSTRUCTION
Students and faculty have the support of the Education Librarian who provides research assistance to classes, groups, and individuals. In collaboration with the Counselor Education faculty, the Education Librarian has authored online research guides, called LibGuides, for each of the domain areas:
|
Domain |
LibGuide pdf Snapshots |
|
| 1 | Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 2 | Social and Cultural Diversity | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 3 | Human Growth and Development | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 4 | Career Development | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 5 | Counseling Theory/Helping Relationships | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 6 | Group Work | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 7 | Assessment | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 8 | Research and Program Evaluation | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 9 | Clinical Mental Health Counseling | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 10 | Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 11 | School Counseling | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
| 12 | Substance Abuse and Addiction | LibGuide Resource pdf snapshot |
These online guides replace paper bibliographies distributed by the department and traditional paper pathfinders created by the library. LibGuides take advantage of Web 2.0 technology to provide focused access to research resources. LibGuides access is available on the library website and in the College’s learning management system (SOCS). Counselor education faculty members were early adopters of the option to embed LibGuides in SOCS, making library resources easily available to students both on and off campus at the point of need.
The guides provide support for a systematic review of academic resources available for research in a given domain area. The tabs in each guide include these topics: Getting Started, Reference Works, Books/Catalog, Journals, Articles/Databases, Films, Professional Organizations, and Citing Sources.
The guides are dynamic and customizable. If an assignment is updated or a new assignment is given, the corresponding LibGuide will reflect the change. The excellent communication between the counselor education department faculty and the Education Librarian makes this possible. As a result of library research sessions and the LibGuides, faculty report better use of quality information resources by students for projects and papers.
Library instruction sessions help students become proficient consumers of information, who are able to find, evaluate and use information efficiently, effectively and ethically. This work also supports the accreditation requirements of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In order to develop research and communication skills, students must become information literate in the discipline and value lifelong learning.
ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Each of the full-time faculty members of the Department of Counselor Education has been equipped with either a Dell or Macintosh personal computer, and has access to a personal printer and the Department business machine, which serves as a combination printer, copier, scanner, and fax machine. Several word processing software programs (e.g., Microsoft Office, Mac Write Pro) have been installed on these computers.
Both faculty and students in the CMHC, MCFCT, and School Counseling programs have access to a variety of hardware and software resources available throughout the campus. Students and faculty have access to approximately 500 computing workstations, including Dell and Macintosh microcomputers, Unix workstations, and VDI terminals. These resources are located in sixteen instructional and general purpose computing labs and in three special purpose labs associated with the library, the Media Center, and the Academic Support Center. There are also computer terminals located in the library that provide students with access to the College’s computerized library holdings catalog and electronic journals (described above). The instructional and general purpose computing facilities are currently served by Local Area Networks (LANs), as well as wireless networks, and the College has implemented a campus-wide data communications system that links all of these resources and enables users to access those resources from virtually any location on campus, including residence hall rooms. In addition to computing workstations, the labs are equipped with printers and a variety of general purpose and specialized hardware peripherals, such as scanners. Each lab has specialized software related to the curricular area it serves as well as general purpose software. Students and faculty using campus computers can utilize word processing (e.g., Microsoft Word) and data analysis (e.g., SAS, SPSS-X) programs and e-mail and Internet access. Lastly, there is a full-time IT support specialist available for faculty and staff assigned specifically to the School of Education.
G. The institution provides information to students in the program about personal counseling services provided by professionals other than program faculty and students.
Students in the CMHC, MCFCT, and SC programs are eligible to receive a wide range of personal and confidential counseling services at The College of New Jersey’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). These services are described on page 25 of the Graduate Bulletin and are provided by professionals who are not program faculty. And although there are MA-level interns who may do their internship at CAPS, Department of Counselor Education students who seek personal counseling services there are assigned a full-time CAPS counseling staff member who works to insure that confidentiality is protected. Students are informed of the availability of personal counseling services through the Graduate Bulletin and through advisement with program faculty members.
H. A counseling instruction environment (on or off campus) is conducive to modeling, demonstration, supervision, and training, and is available and used by the program. Administrative control of the counseling instruction environment ensures adequate and appropriate access by faculty and students. The counseling instruction environment includes all of the following:
1. Settings for individual counseling, with assured privacy and sufficient space for appropriate equipment.
The Department has brand new, state-of-the-art facility (which opened in June of 2012) that has a three-room observational and practice laboratory that is used by the instructors of courses with counseling practice components, i.e., Introduction to Counseling, Group Counseling, and Practicum/Internship classes. Each of these laboratories is equipped with one-way vision glass, a table, and chairs to accommodate individual, family, and group counseling, as well as DVD-taping capability. The same facilities are used by the CMHC, MCFCT, and SC programs.
2. Settings for small-group work, with assured privacy and sufficient space for appropriate equipment.
The rooms mentioned above are used for small group work, and assure privacy and sufficient space for groups as large as eight (8) with two (2) facilitators.
3. Necessary and appropriate technologies and other observational capabilities that assist learning.
The rooms mentioned above all have permanent audio/video (DVD) recording equipment. Additional audio/video equipment units and telecommunications equipment are available for use from the college’s Media and Technology Support Services center located in Forcina Hall. All of the equipment in the center is available to faculty for instructional purposes (by using an on-line Media Equipment Request System) and to students on an academic need basis. Also located in the Media and Technology Support Services center is a laboratory (Forcina 111) in which faculty and students can develop audio/visual materials. In addition, self-training modules are available to students and faculty for learning how to use specific equipment and how to prepare instructional materials.
Technical assistance available for the use and maintenance of audio/visual equipment is provided by the Media and Technology Support Services center. In addition, each computer facility on the campus is staffed with a faculty or professional staff person trained in the use and maintenance of computer equipment. The College also has trained individuals who service the computer equipment in the labs, as well as maintains contracts with computer repair services.
4. Procedures that ensure that the client’s confidentiality and legal rights are protected.
At the beginning of each Practicum/Internship semester program faculty review ethical and legal issues with the clinical students and stress the following points:
- The necessity to adhere to the American Counseling Association’s ethical codes and standards, as well as the respective ethical codes for the student’s specialty areas, e.g., AAMFT, AMHCA, ASCA, NAADAC and IAMFC. Students are informed that failure to adhere to these standards can lead to disciplinary action, including course grade deductions and/or, referral to the Department’s Student Retention Committee (found in the Counselor Education Student Manual).
- Issues of confidentiality, informed consent, and presenting oneself as a counseling intern receiving supervision.
- Obtaining the client’s written permission for audio/video taping. Formats for written permission are reviewed.