Sitemap   :   Text Only Website

Student Right to Know Information

FERPA Notification of Students Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.

  • The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.
    • Students should submit to the Records Office, Griffin Hall, Room 208, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Records Office staff will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
  • The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
    • Students may ask Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the TNCC official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
  • The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
    • One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a student assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
  • The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by TNCC to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
    • The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:
      • Family Policy Compliance Office
        U.S. Department of Education
        600 Independence Avenue, SW
        Washington, DC 20202-4605

Institutional Policy on Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Recent regulations issued by the federal government, combined with the growing number of drug and alcohol related incidents have made us aware of the need for policies which regulate the use or non-use of such substances. Thomas Nelson Community College, in its Student Code of Conduct, has identified as violations the unlawful use, possession, or distribution of narcotics, hallucinatory drugs, or controlled substances of any nature and the unauthorized use or consumption of alcohol on campus or any off-campus school-sponsored event, activity, or course.

Additionally, the College has : (1) complied with the Higher Education Amendment of 1986, which requires colleges and universities, in order to maintain federal financial aid eligibility for students, to certify that these institutions have drug abuse prevention programs, and (2) become partners with the Virginia Tidewater Consortium for Higher Education to establish a consortium-wide drug-use and alcohol-abuse prevention program. This policy statement and the procedures that follow are designed to describe the institution’s position on the use and/or abuse of drugs and alcohol on campus in accordance with Sections 6.5.4 and 6.5.5 of the Virginia Community College Systems Policy Manual. The unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, and/or abuse of a controlled substance on the campus of Thomas Nelson Community College by any student is prohibited.

1. Any student alleged to be in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action as described in Section Ten of the Student Code of Conduct.

2. The Student Activities Coordinator will offer drug and alcohol abuse prevention program for students.

3. Current guidelines for activities where alcoholic beverages are served are available in the Thomas Nelson Community College Administrative Procedures Manual.

Graduation Rates

Year Students Completers Transfers Grad Rate Transfer Still Enrolled Overall
2010 862 105 198 12.2% 23.0%
2009 880 117 197 13.3% 22.4%
2008 720 90 111 12.5% 15.4%
2007 803 88 84 11.0% 10.5%
2006 791 80 94 10.1% 11.9% 127 38.1%
2005 697 82 68 11.8% 9.8% 127 39.7%
2004 728 53 93 7.3% 12.8% 155 41.3%
2003 594 56 NA 9.4% NA% 106 NA%
2002 587 47 67 8.0% 11.4% 93 35.3%
2001 513 34 58 6.62% 11.3% 98 37.0%
2000 424 34 38 8.01% 8.96% 70 33.4%
1999 433 39 46 9.00% 10.6% 72 36.2%
1998 515 55 65 10.6% 12.6% 67 36.3%
Notes:
  • * Dual Enrollment students are included in these cohorts.
    • Cohort: Students who were first-time, full-time, and program-placed.
    • Graduates: Students earning an award in three academic years, plus the following summer. This is a 150% completion period which attaches summer awards to the prior year.
    • Transfer: Beginning with the Fall 2004 Cohort, National Clearinghouse Data was used to determine enrollment at another institution. This does not include graduates who transferred.
  • Source: VCCS Institutional Research: VCCS Graduation Rates Survey: Thomas Nelson Community College: http://system.vccs.edu/graduates/rates.asp
Print Page