President's Update - August 2017

President's Update | August 2017

Julie Bruno, ASCCC President

Dear Colleagues,

We hope you had a restful and rejuvenating summer and are ready for the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year. Unsurprisingly, work at the state level did not stop during the summer months. This update will provide you with information on several items that we worked on over the past few months, as well as a number of things to keep on your radar as the fall term progresses. As always, please feel free to contact us for more information or if you have any questions.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I wish you and your students a wonderful start to the fall term.

Respectfully,

Julie Bruno, President

Summer Events

The ASCCC held three institutes over the summer months. We kicked off the summer in June with the Faculty Leadership Institute, which provides senate leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in their new roles. In July, we held the Curriculum Institute (our largest to date) with over 550 faculty, classified staff, and administrators participating in 64 breakouts and general sessions that covered numerous curriculum topics and related issues. Finally, we held our inaugural Part-time Faculty Leadership Institute with 300 faculty in attendance. This institute was expressly designed to address the professional development needs of our part-time faculty colleagues and was a great success. We wish to express our appreciation for all who had a hand in making our summer events successful, including our ASCCC committee members and our faculty, classified, administrative, and Chancellor’s Office colleagues. As always, we are grateful for all those who attended and participated in our events. Thank you.

Budget

The 2017-2018 California state budget was approved on June 27, 2017. Overall, the higher education budget was strong for California Community Colleges, including allocations for an integrated library system, the Online Education Initiative learning management system, guided pathways, veterans resource centers, the Umoja program, mental health services, hunger free campus grants, and transitional support for Compton Community College, to name a few areas. Of particular note, the budget includes $1 million for the C-ID system. Further, statute now includes a provision for the Chancellor’s Office to enter into direct contracts with the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The Academic Senate is grateful for the support of the governor, the legislature, and the Department of Finance as well as our system partners who advocated on our behalf. This funding will ensure the sustainability of the C-ID System and support the critical work of the ASCCC. More information on the budget may be found on Chancellor’s Office Finance and Facilities Division budget news webpage.

Vision for Success

At the July Board of Governors meeting, the Chancellor presented the report Vision for Success: Strengthening the California Community Colleges to meet California’s needs. The report includes six goals and seven commitments to improve service to our students at the college and system levels. The Board of Governors accepted the report and will consider adoption at its September meeting. The ASCCC will continue to keep you updated as the Board acts and the future of strategic vision unfolds.

Guided Pathways

With the passage of the $150 million allocation in the budget, the Chancellor’s Office is in the process of implementing the Guided Pathways Award Program. This effort will continue into the fall term with the role out of the application process and workshops designed to assist colleges in completing the assessment tool and to provide information and resources for local implementation of guided pathways. Information on the program, including the statute requirements, videos, presentation materials, and other resources, may be found on the IEPI Guided Pathways website. The ASCCC is working in collaboration with the Chancellor’s Office and other partners, including the Career Ladders Project and the Research and Planning Group, to support colleges as they explore and decide whether to implement the guided pathways framework.

Additionally, the Academic Senate is committed to ensuring strong faculty participation and leadership as the guided pathways effort moves forward. To assist in this effort, the ASCCC is requesting that local senates establish a Guided Pathways liaison position to facilitate information sharing between local senates, faculty, and the ASCCC. For more information on the position, please see the Guided Pathways Liaison webpage. Senate Presidents should submit the contact information for their Guided Pathways Liaison to: Kyoko@asccc.org.

Professional Development College

The ASCCC continues to build the Professional Development College course offerings. Our most recent offering is the New Faculty Orientation course, which will be available in the coming months. This course is designed for newly hired faculty and serves as an introduction to California community college students, colleges, and system. Content topics include the structure of the system, participatory governance, and effective pedagogical strategies. Professional Development College courses are open to all individuals, including faculty, administrators, staff, and trustees. In addition to the New Faculty Orientation course, the PDC also includes five courses tailored to specific areas of curriculum, such as the course outline of record and Career and Technical Education, and an extensive course on participatory governance for faculty leaders. More information may be found on the PDC website.

Legislation

The Academic Senate continues to track important pieces of legislation that fall within academic and professional matters. Of the bills that are still viable, July 17 was the last day to exit the policy committee and be referred to the Appropriations Committee of the opposite chamber of origin for consideration this year. Appropriations Committee hearings are scheduled for the week of August 21. The following is a quick status update on the bills we have been tracking:

AB 387 (Thurmond) Health Professionals Minimum Wage – Inactive file at authors request
AB 504 (Medina) Student Success and Support Program Funding – In Senate
AB 637 (Medina) Cross Enrollment in Online Education – In Assembly
AB 705 (Irwin) Matriculation: Assessment – Referred to Appropriations Committee
AB 847 (Bocanegra) Academic Senates: Membership Rosters – Two-year bill
AB 1018 (Reyes) Student Equity Plans: Homeless Students – Appropriations Suspense file
SB 577 (Dodd) Teacher Credentialing Programs – Higher Ed Committee; Hearing cancelled
SB 769 (Hill) Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program – Appropriations Committee

Detailed information about the content and status of bills may be accessed at the California Legislative Information website. Also, information on advocacy as well as tools to track legislation may be found on the Faculty Association for California Community Colleges (FACCC) website. Monthly ASCCC legislative updates and additional information may be found on the Legislative Update webpage.

Congratulations to a New Vice President of Academic Affairs

It is with pleasure and pride that we announce that past-ASCCC president David Morse has accepted the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs at Barstow College. David has been an exceptional advocate for faculty and students throughout his tenure as a faculty member at Long Beach City College, an Executive Committee member, and president of the ASCCC. Although we will miss him in our faculty community, we know he will continue to do good work at Barstow College and we wish him all the best in his new position.

UC Transfer Pathways and Associate Degree Pilot

In partnership with the UC Academic Senate, the ASCCC continues its work on the Associate Degree and UC Transfer Pathways Pilot program. The pilot program will define the parameters for the local development of associate degrees based on the UC Transfer Pathways. A memorandum of understanding between the segments is being drafted to facilitate guaranteed admission to a UC campus for students who complete the degree with a minimum GPA in the Transfer Pathway courses. The details are being finalized and we hope to have the program in place by September. Although initially limited to chemistry and physics, the program will eventually be expanded to include other transfer pathways.

Farwell to an Ally and Wonderful Colleague

Earlier this month, Dr. Pam Walker, Executive Vice Chancellor of Educational Services, retired after a long and successful career in the California Community Colleges. Pam was a fantastic colleague, collaborator, and mentor. She worked in close partnership with the Academic Senate on numerous state level projects, most recently the curriculum streamlining effort and serving incarcerated students, and was a tireless advocate for students, our colleges, and our system. All of us will miss Pam’s expertise, energy, wisdom and humor. The Academic Senate wishes her all the best in her retirement.

Upcoming ASCCC Events

Online Educational Resources, September 15 (North: College of Marin) and September 16 (South: MiraCosta College)
CTE Regional Meetings, September 22 (North) and September 23 (South), 2017
Area Meetings, October 13 (Areas A and B) and October 14 (Areas C and D), 2017
Fall Plenary Session, November 2-4, 2017, Irvine Marriott Hotel, Irvine
Curriculum Regional Meetings, November 17 (North) and November 18 (South), 2017
Accreditation Institute, February 23-24, 2018, Wyndham Anaheim Hotel, Garden Grove
Spring CTE Regional Meetings, March 9 (North) and March 10 (South), 2018
Area Meetings, March 23 and March 24, 2018
Spring Plenary Session, April 12-14, 2018, San Mateo Marriott
Faculty Leadership Institute, June 14-16, 2018, Sheraton Park Anaheim

Note: More events will be posted as soon as they are confirmed.

The ASCCC is always happy to provide assistance or guidance on any senate-related topic. We also make visits to local colleges to connect directly with academic senates or other faculty bodies when appropriate. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in these services. More information may be found at www.asccc.org.