President's Update | February 2018

Spring Plenary Session and Area Meetings

The ASCCC will hold the Spring Plenary Session on April 12-14 at the San Mateo Marriott.  The theme for this session is “Leading through Change: Focused on Students, Driven by Faculty.” Registration is now open and a preliminary program is posted. Area meetings will take place on Friday, March 23 for Areas A and B and Saturday, March 24 for Areas C and D. More information will be added to the Areas News webpage as it becomes available.

Budget 

On January 10, the Governor released his initial proposal for the 2018-2019 budget (summary). Subsequently, the Department of Finance issued trailer bill language on February 1, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released its analysis of the budget last week. The Governor’s proposal outlines a significant shift in how our community colleges are funded with a new funding formula that includes a performance-based component and a proposal to fund a 115th fully online community college. The ASCCC Executive Committee’s concerns with both proposals are delineated in our recent correspondence to state leaders.  The ASCCC leadership met with the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the Department of Finance, key legislative staff, and the Governor’s Office to express our concern regarding both the funding formula proposal and the proposed online college.  

Legislation and Advocacy 

February 16 was the last day for legislators to introduce new bills for the second half of the two-year cycle. Legislative updates are provided monthly to the Executive Committee and may be found on the Legislative Updates website. A comprehensive evaluation of proposed legislation that falls within academic and professional matters will be available in the coming weeks.

Equity and Diversity Action Update

The ASCCC Equity and Diversity Action Committee continues its efforts to support DACA students as well as improve diversity in faculty hiring.  EDAC regionals will be held on Friday, April 6 in Sacramento (college TBD) and Saturday, April 7 at Southwestern College. The regionals will include information on the Equal Employment Opportunity metrics for hiring and the longitudinal data that the Chancellor’s Office is collecting regarding that data. Also, Jake Knapp, Chancellor’s Office Deputy Legal Counsel, will discuss the most recent legislative actions regarding DACA students.  Information and resources for undocumented students may be found on the Chancellor’s Office webpage.

At the February 9 meeting of the Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates (ICAS), the academic senates from the three segments of public higher education in California issued a joint letter requesting Chancellor Oakley, Chancellor White, and President Napolitano explore the possibility of expanding DACA support services and, if feasible, allowing DACA and Dreamer students to use support centers at any CCC, CSU, or UC campus, regardless of their enrollment in a different system, without fear of repercussion or retribution, and without need for payment. The ASCCC DACA resource page will continue to be updated with information and resources that faculty can use at their campuses to support their DACA and undocumented students. 

The Chancellor’s Office EEO Advisory Group recently approved increasing the number of multiple measures required in hiring that a district must meet in order to be awarded EEO funds. For 2018-19, districts must meet six of the eight multiple methods to qualify for funding. Details of the requirements are outlined in the Chancellor’s Office communication on allocation of the EEO fund. Further information and resources may be found on the Chancellor’s Office EEO and Diversity webpage.

Guided Pathways

The ASCCC Guided Pathways Task Force (GPTF) sent a survey (closes February 28) to academic senate presidents to gather information and insights on how best to support academic senates and faculty through the local design and implementation of a guided pathways framework. GPTF members will be in attendance at each of the Chancellor’s Office spring workshops, as well as anticipate holding regional meetings this semester for local academic senates and faculty as they focus on the implications of guided pathways on academic and professional matters. The ASCCC Spring Plenary session will have numerous breakouts on issues integral to guided pathways such as assessment and placement, reexamining curriculum, the Educational Planning Initiative (EPI), and engaging faculty in local efforts. Appointing a Guided Pathways liaison will ensure that your local senate remains in direct contact and communication with the ASCCC. More information on the Guided Pathways liaison and all ASCCC liaison positions may be found on the Liaison webpage.

A2MEND Male Summit

The ASCCC is again partnering with A2MEND for the A2MEND Male Summit to explore strategies and effective practices to support African American males in our colleges.  ASCCC representatives will be facilitating sessions on areas of academic and professional matters for the conference attendees. More information on A2MEND and registration for the summit may be found on the A2MEND website.

AB 705

The Chancellor’s Office Implementation Committee continues to meet and discuss the implementation of AB 705. The guidance developed by the committee will be sent to the California Community College Curriculum Committee (5C) for review and recommendation to the Chancellor’s Office regarding curricular and regulation impact. The Chancellor’s Office expects full implementation of AB 705 by fall 2019. The Implementation Committee continues to work toward consensus on some critical components of the legislation. The ASCCC will provide additional information on implementation at the ASCCC Plenary Session and the Curriculum Regional Meetings on May 18 and 19 as well as training and support at the Curriculum Institute in July.

Accreditation

The work on accreditation continues this spring. The CEO Workgroup I will resume its discussions with ACCJC on ways to improve accreditation processes. These efforts build upon the September 2017 Workgroup I Report: Improving ACCJC Structure, Function and Relations. The final report issued by Workgroup II, Higher Education Accreditation Alignment: A Vision for the Western Region, is also available for review. Progress on accreditation improvement efforts as well as information and resources regarding ACCJC and accreditation may be found on the Community College League of California’s Accreditation webpage.

Executive Committee Meeting and Strategic Planning

The ASCCC will hold its next Executive Committee meeting on March 2 at the Butte College in Oroville and on March 3 at Oxford Suites, Chico. At this meeting, the Executive Committee will finalize the ASCCC Strategic Plan for 2018-2021. The Strategic Plan will be disseminated for discussion at the Area meetings and be presented for adoption at the Spring 2018 Plenary session. All are welcome to attend this and any of our Executive Committee meetings.

Upcoming ASCCC Events

• Transfer, Articulation, and Student Services Regional Meetings, March 8 (Cosumnes River College) and March 9 (Los Angeles Southwest College), 2018.

• Area Meetings, March 23 and March 24, 2018

• Spring Plenary Session, April 12-14, 2018, San Mateo Marriott

• Equity and Diversity Action Committee Regional Meetings, April 6 (Sacramento) and April 7 (Southwestern College), 2018

• Career and Noncredit Education Institute, May 3-5, 2018, The Westin South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa

• Save the Date! Curriculum Regional Meetings, May 18 (North) and May 19 (South), 2018

• Faculty Leadership Institute, June 14-16, 2018, Sheraton Park Anaheim

• Curriculum Institute, July 11-14, 2018, Riverside Convention Center

• Save the Date! Part-Time Faculty Institute, August 2-4, 2018, Westin SFO Airport

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.