As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) ‘Academic year’ means the year beginning July 1 of each year and ending June 30 of the following year running concurrently with the fiscal year.

(2) ‘Board’ means the board of education of a community college district.

(3) ‘Board member’ means a member of the board of education of a community college district.

(4)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, ‘community college’ means a public institution operated by a community college district for the purposes of providing courses of study limited to not more than two years’ full-time attendance and designed to meet the needs of a geographical area by providing educational services, including but not limited to career and technical education programs or lower division collegiate programs.

(b) The two-year limitation described in paragraph (a) of this subsection does not apply to:

(A) Technical programs in which the curriculum may require more than two years of attendance but less than four years;

(B) Applied baccalaureate degree programs approved under ORS § 341.013; or

(C) Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree programs approved under ORS § 341.013.

(5) ‘Community college district’ or ‘district’ means a district formed under this chapter to operate one or more community colleges or to secure educational services available at a community college. ‘Community college district’ includes a community college service district.

(6) ‘Director’ means the Director of the Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development appointed under ORS § 350.160 by the executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

(7) ‘Full-time equivalent student’ means a student or combination of several students who carries or carry among them, within a single academic year, a minimum number of clock hours of instruction, in any program, to be specified by rule by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

(8) ‘Paying agent and registrar’ means the county treasurer or county fiscal officer of the county in which the chief administrative officer of the community college district maintains the administrative office.

(9) ‘Petitioning territory’ means a community college district petitioning to have an area outside the district included in the district or to have an area inside the district excluded from the district, or an area outside the district petitioning to be included within the district.

(10) ‘Principal county’ means the county in which the chief administrative officer of the community college district maintains the administrative office. [Formerly 341.510; 1971 c.513 § 1; 1981 c.173 § 52; 1987 c.474 § 4; 1993 c.45 127,128; 1995 c.67 § 1; 1997 c.271 § 3; 2009 c.94 § 11; 2013 c.747 § 43; 2015 c.366 § 12; 2019 c.255 § 3; 2023 c.287 § 2]