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On-Demand

College Catalogs: Avoid Mistakes and Legal Claims in 2025-26 School Year

Jim Castagnera
FormatSelf-Paced | On-Demand
Sessions3
Per session60 Minutes
CertificateIncluded

A catalog is a legal document that informs students about college and academic policies and lists course offerings. Counselors and other staff also use them to help students decide how to further their education. Colleges and universities underestimate catalogs' importance. Your course catalog must be precise, transparent, and legally sound. Course catalogs aren't just guides; they help shape students' futures. Students rely on them for planning semesters and careers, and they are the basis of contractual agreements between institutions and students.

During this presentation, Dr. Jim Castagnera will explore the practical and legal aspects of a document that is taken for granted by too many higher education institutions. By publishing and monitoring an effective course catalog, you will manage students' expectations and reduce your institution's risks and liabilities.

What We'll Cover

Course Outline


During this webinar Dr. Castagnera will discuss:

  • When and why a college catalog is a binding contract
  • How you can effectively use disclaimers and reservations of rights
  • The potential consequences of inaccuracies
  • The legal implications of using an online course catalog
  • Lessons you can learn from recent court cases
  • What information should be included in the catalog. What you should exclude
  • Other documents which may define your contractual relationship with students
  • Damages and remedies that are available to students for inaccuracies

Meet the Expert

Jim Castagnera

Jim Castagnera

Dr. James Ottavio Castagnera, Esq. holds an M.A. in Journalism from Kent State University, and a J.D. and Ph.D. (American Studies) from Case Western Reserve University. He worked 10 years as a labor, employment, and intellectual-property attorney with Saul Ewing and 23 years as associate provost & legal counsel for academic affairs at Rider University, where in 2018 he received the university’s highest annual award for distinguished service. He also did stints as a full-time law professor at UT-Austin and Widener University Law School.
Having retired from Rider in 2019, he currently is the President of Dr. Jim’s One-Stop HR Shop, a freelance-writing/editing, webinar and training company in the HR space, and CEO of the International Artificial Intelligence Association, a think tank dedicated to understanding the impacts of Generative AI. He has 25 published books to his credit.

Who Should Attend?

  • Provosts
  • Vice presidents
  • Vice provosts
  • Deans
  • Registrars
  • Associate and assistant deans
  • Academic department chairpersons
  • Diversity and equity professionals
  • Student affairs professionals
  • Compliance officers
  • Faculty
  • Other school staff members
  • Legal Counsel

Training Includes

The College Catalogs: Avoid Mistakes and Legal Claims in 2025-26 School Year course includes the following:

Two Year Course Access

Access your course through your customer dashboard

  • Course access for 2 full years
  • All live sessions include access to the on-demand recording post live session

Class Experience

Live sessions are small and focused to support questions and discussion. Self-paced on-demand courses allow you to move through the material on your own schedule.

Resources

Downloadable course materials to support learning

Attendance Certificate

All sessions include an Attendance Certificate

$150.00