The following words when used in this chapter and chapter eighteen-c of this code have the meanings ascribed to them unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

(1) “Administratively linked community and technical college” means a state institution of higher education delivering community and technical college education and programs which has maintained a contractual agreement to receive essential services from another accredited state institution of higher education prior to July 1, 2008;

(2) “Advanced technology center” means a facility established under the direction of an independent community and technical college or the council for the purpose of implementing and delivering education and training programs for high-skill, high-performance Twenty-first Century workplaces;

(3) “Approve” or “approval”, when used in reference to action by the Commission or the Council, means action in which the governance rationale of a governing board under its jurisdiction is given due consideration, and the action of the Commission is to additionally establish whether the proposed institutional action is consistent with law and established policy and is an appropriate advancement of the public interest;

(4) “Board of visitors” means the advisory board previously appointed for the West Virginia Graduate College and the advisory board previously appointed for West Virginia University Institute of Technology, which provide guidance to the Marshall University Graduate College and West Virginia University Institute of Technology, respectively;

(5) “Broker” or “brokering” means serving as an agent on behalf of students, employers, communities or responsibility areas to obtain education services not offered at that institution. These services include courses, degree programs or other services contracted through an agreement with a provider of education services either in-state or out-of-state;

(6) “Chancellor” means the Chancellor for Higher Education where the context refers to a function of the Higher Education Policy Commission. “Chancellor” means the Chancellor for Community and Technical College Education where the context refers to a function of the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education;

(7) “Chancellor for Community and Technical College Education” means the chief executive officer of the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education employed pursuant to section three, article two-b of this chapter;

(8) “Chancellor for Higher Education” means the chief executive officer of the Higher Education Policy Commission employed pursuant to section five, article one-b of this chapter;

(9) “Collaboration” means entering into an agreement with one or more providers of education services in order to enhance the scope, quality or efficiency of education services;

(10) “Community and technical college”, in the singular or plural, means the free-standing community and technical colleges and other state institutions of higher education which deliver community and technical college education. This definition includes Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, Bridgemont Community and Technical College, Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College, Mountwest Community and Technical College, New River Community and Technical College, Pierpont Community and Technical College, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, West Virginia Northern Community and Technical College and West Virginia University at Parkersburg;

(11) “Community and technical college education” means the programs, faculty, administration and funding associated with the delivery of community and technical college education programs;

(12) “Community and technical college education program” means any college-level course or program beyond the high school level provided through a public institution of higher education resulting in or which may result in a two-year associate degree award including an associate of arts, an associate of science and an associate of applied science; certificate programs and skill sets; developmental education; continuing education; collegiate credit and noncredit workforce development programs; and transfer and baccalaureate parallel programs. All programs are under the jurisdiction of the council. Any reference to “post-secondary vocational education programs” means community and technical college education programs as defined in this subsection;

(13) “Confirm” or “confirmation”, when used in reference to action by the Commission, means action in which substantial deference is allocated to the governing authority of a governing board under its jurisdiction and the action of the Commission is to review whether the proposed institutional action is consistent with law and established policy;

(14) “Council” means the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education created by article two-b of this chapter;

(15) “Dual credit course” or “dual enrollment course” means a credit-bearing college-level course offered in a high school by a state institution of higher education for high school students in which the students are concurrently enrolled and receiving credit at the secondary level.

(16) “Essential conditions” means those conditions which shall be met by community and technical colleges as provided in section three, article three-c of this chapter;

(17) “Exempted schools” means West Virginia University, including West Virginia University Potomac State College and West Virginia University Institute of Technology; Marshall University; and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine;

(18) “Free-standing community and technical colleges” means Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, West Virginia Northern Community and Technical College, and Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, which may not be operated as branches or off-campus locations of any other state institution of higher education;

(19) “Governing boards” or “boards” means the institutional boards of Governors created by section one, article two-a of this chapter;

(20) “Higher Education Policy Commission”, “Policy Commission” or “Commission” means the commission created by section one, article one-b of this chapter;

(21) “Independent community and technical college” means a state institution of higher education under the jurisdiction of the council which is independently accredited, is governed by its own independent governing board, and may not be operated as a branch or off-campus location of any other state institution of higher education. This definition includes Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, Bridgemont Community and Technical College, Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College, Mountwest Community and Technical College, New River Community and Technical College, Pierpont Community and Technical College, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, West Virginia Northern Community and Technical College, and West Virginia University at Parkersburg;

(22) “Institutional compact” means the compact developed by a state institution of higher education, consistent with the public policy agenda for higher education;

(23) “Institutional operating budget” or “operating budget” means for any fiscal year an institution’s total unrestricted education and general funding from all sources, including, but not limited to, tuition and fees and legislative appropriation, and any adjustments to that funding as approved by the commission or council based on comparisons with peer institutions or to reflect consistent components of peer operating budgets;

(24) “Rule” or “rules” means a regulation, standard, policy or interpretation of general application and future effect;

(25) “Sponsoring institution” means a state institution of higher education that maintained an administrative link to a community and technical college providing essential services prior to July 1, 2008. This definition includes institutions whose governing boards had under their jurisdiction a community and technical college, regional campus or a division delivering community and technical college education and programs;

(26) “State college and university” means Bluefield State College, Concord University, Fairmont State University, Glenville State College, Shepherd University, West Liberty University or West Virginia State University;

(27) “State institution of higher education” means any university, college or community and technical college under the jurisdiction of a governing board as that term is defined in this section;

(28) “Statewide network of independently accredited community and technical colleges” or “community and technical college network” means the state institutions of higher education under the jurisdiction of the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education which are independently accredited, each governed by its own independent governing board, and each having a core mission of providing affordable access to and delivering high quality community and technical education in every region of the state; and

(29) “Vice Chancellor for Administration” means the person employed in accordance with section two, article four of this chapter. Any reference in this chapter or chapter eighteen-c of this code to “Senior Administrator” means Vice Chancellor for Administration.