President's Update | November 2020

November 2, 2020

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

It is hard to believe that the Fall Plenary is happening in just a few days. After the disappointment of having to cancel the Spring Plenary Session, the ASCCC Executive Committee is excited to welcome over 500 people to this year’s Fall Plenary being held virtually. This event will mark one of the largest plenary sessions that the ASCCC has hosted, and while we will miss being able to have hallway conversations and catch up with friends while making new ones, we would rather have everyone healthy and safe during these difficult times so that eventually, when we can meet in person, everyone is able to be present and no one is missing.

This year’s plenary session theme is “Addressing Anti-Blackness and IDEAs (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism) in Academic and Professional Matters.” The breakout strands are grouped around the theme of IDEAs along with a strand on governance. The general sessions will highlight the role of faculty leaders in making budget recommendations as well as a special general session elevating the voices of some of the contributors to our special summer Rostrum highlighting the writing of Black faculty in the California Community Colleges.  We will also be using a new process for resolutions, which will be exciting and a little stressful; please plan to attend the general session on Friday afternoon that will explain the process. 

We were delighted that Chancellor Oakley was able to attend our Areas B and C meetings on Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17.  We were particularly appreciative of his willingness to answer questions directly from the faculty leaders at each of the meetings about resources, Calbright, and other much debated topics, as well as his recent recognition of the work of the ASCCC and its Executive Committee during the CCCCO’s webinar series.  While we are likely to disagree on certain issues, the communication between the CCCCO and the ASCCC continues to be strengthened, and we welcome increased collaboration in partnership with our CCCCO colleagues.

As this update is being prepared, the November election looms large in the consciousness of most if not all of us.  Hopefully, if you are eligible, you have already voted, but if you have not, please do so. 

We look forward to welcoming you to plenary this week and to seeing you all soon.

Dolores Davison
ASCCC President

Professional Development Events

The Guided Pathways Task Force (GPTF) continues with its Tuesday 11:00 AM-12:00 PM professional development series and planning for integrating guided pathways work into the ASCCC standing committee structure. More information is available here. In addition, the GPTF white paper Optimizing Student Success: A Report on Placement in English and mathematics Pathways is now available here.

Other events are being planned and will be announced shortly. If you are not already on one of the ASCCC listservs, consider signing up today here.

The ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative and California Virtual College – Online Education Initiative recently held a successful Academic Academy on October 8-9. Over 100 faculty members attended the two-day event to discuss open educational resources, distance education, and ways in which the system can better improve access and inclusion for all students. Presentation materials are available on the ASCCC events page here (under Presentation Materials).

ASCCC Professional Development College - Courses Updated

The ASCCC initiated the PDC in 2014 to serve as a comprehensive professional development resource for faculty, staff, and administrators in the California community colleges. Faculty experts under the direction of the ASCCC design each PDC course to provide timely training that participants can complete at their own convenience. The courses all include expected outcomes and assessments to test the participants’ knowledge after completion of the course.

The ASCCC Professional Development College continues to add new complete courses and openly licensed Canvas modules for incorporation into local professional development opportunities. Please send suggestions for additional PDC topics and questions about the PDC to info@asccc.org. For more information or to register, visit the Professional Development College Homepage.

Course Identification Numbering (C-ID) System

C-ID recently convened the Intersegmental Curriculum Workgroup (ICW) and C-ID Advisory Committee for direction on meeting C-ID goals for the 2020 – 2021 academic year. ICW and the C-ID Advisory Committee are working to incorporate anti-racism and culturally relevant curriculum practices and policies this fall. The committees will also review proposals to embed anti-racism and culturally relevant curriculum into the TMC and C-ID descriptor development and review processes. Additionally, C-ID leadership and ICW will review current C-ID policies and procedures this fall to identify areas for improvement.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Workgroup

The work of diversity, equity, and inclusion continues as we strive to incorporate anti-racism and no-hate education in the evaluation of course descriptors in C-ID, provide feedback and input to the Chancellor’s Office task force to evaluate current system-wide recruitment strategies, and provide guidance to human resources through collaboration with ACHRO and the Chancellor’s Office regarding hiring procedures.  Finalized guidance memos are expected before the end of the calendar year.  A presentation to the Board of Governors is expected at their November meeting regarding system-wide recruitment.  We are currently working with the C-ID Faculty Discipline Review Groups to incorporate anti-racism as a system value as expressed by the delegates through resolution 3.02 at the Fall 2019 Plenary Session. 

Faculty Empowerment and Leadership Academy

This year, the ASCCC proudly introduces the new Faculty Empowerment and Leadership Academy (FELA), a one-to-one mentoring program designed to meet the needs of the diverse faculty in the California Community College system. The program will provide opportunities for participants to engage in empowerment for personal and professional development, including networking opportunities and support through an entire year starting in spring 2021 and ending in summer 2022. FELA will focus on the development of faculty from groups historically underrepresented within higher education leadership, such as black/African American, Latinx, Native American, Asian-Pacific Islander, and women. The academy will provide opportunities to connect with leaders, empower faculty to seek leadership roles, and provide regular contact with mentors, and we are excited to work with this year’s cohort! While the application period for 2020-2021 year has passed, please visit the FELA Academy Page to access information about the program and consider joining next year’s cohort.

Committee Appointments

Many faculty have been appointed to ASCCC standing committees, Chancellor’s Office advisory committees, and other state-level bodies, but the need for faculty participation is ongoing. The ASCCC is therefore continuing to recruit faculty for statewide service for the 2020-2021 academic year. Every faculty voice is important, and we encourage all interested individuals to consider filling out an application here. Each year we appoint nearly 900 faculty from around the state to a variety of committees on a wide range of subjects to ensure the faculty voice, and we have made a concerted effort to diversify those voices across the categories of race or ethnicity, gender, life experiences shaped by military service, full-time or part-time status, and rural, suburban, or urban colleges. Some appointments are for a total of two meetings per year, while others are to committees that meet twice per month. Whatever availability one may have, we are happy to utilize the expertise brought into these appointments by the many talented faculty around the state.   We are also working with our Standards and Practices and Relations with Local Senates committees to streamline the process and provide more opportunities for statewide service.

Ethnic Studies Requirement

Currently, ethnic studies is a new general education requirement from the California State University system, and the California Community Colleges requirement has not changed. The proposed CSU Executive Order can be found here: https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/diversity/advancement-of-ethnic-studies/Documents/CSU-GE-Breadth-Draft-EO-Revised-10-8-20.pdf. It is dated November XX, 2020, since discussions are still taking place. Unfortunately, at this time, more information regarding this requirement is not available. Discussions regarding the CSU requirements and the impact on the CCCs are taking place within groups with broad representation: the California Community Colleges Curriculum Committee (5C), the Intersegmental Curriculum Workgroup (ICW), C-ID Advisory Committee, and of course the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. As soon as more definitive information is available for colleges, additional input will be sought and guidance will be provided.

In addition, 5C, following established processes, has formed a workgroup to consider changes to Title 5 §55063 on the current ethnic studies requirement. Any proposed changes to Title 5 would be vetted broadly, and faculty and others throughout the state would have an opportunity to provide feedback. 5C includes eight faculty representatives along with four chief instructional officers, a curriculum specialist, and a number of other representatives from CCC stakeholder groups. Any recommended changes to Title 5 must go through the following:

a. legal consultation at the Chancellor’s Office, 
b. Chancellor’s Office Consultation Council, a stakeholder representative group, 
c. the Board of Governors for a first reading with a 45-day notice to the public to provide comment,
d. back to the Chancellor’s Office legal counsel to provide responses to the comments with a 15-day notice if additional changes were made,
e. the Board of Governors for a second reading for consideration of approval, and
f. if approved by the Board of Governors, to the Legislative Analysts Office.

List of Upcoming Events

November 2020

• November 4, Executive Committee Meeting, Zoom Videoconferencing
• November 5-7, 2020 Fall Plenary Session Virtual Event

December 2020

• December 4-5, Executive Committee Meeting Zoom Videoconferencing

Upcoming Webinars

• November 3
  11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  “Coffee, Tea and GP” - Transfer Pathways
• November 6
  3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
  Creating a Print Copy of Your OER Book for Others to Purchase
• November 13
  3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
  OER: Making the Equity Case
• November 17
  11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  The Chancellor’s Office DEI Workgroup Recommendations