Having trouble reading this email? View it on your browser. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Instantly.

Academic Senate Newsletter
 

Wednesday December 10, 2014

President’s Update December

Inline Image

Hello senate presidents and other interested readers,

The fall term is winding down at our colleges, and most faculty are looking forward to an all-too-brief break over the holidays. However, while our classes may be coming to an end for the year, the work of academic senates never really stops. As 2014 winds down, the following updates should help you to keep your faculty informed regarding what is happening now and what to expect in the new year.

back to top Back to top

2014 Fall Plenary Session

We enjoyed seeing many of you at the Fall Plenary Session in November. Attendance at this plenary was especially strong, and the dialogue and exchange of ideas and perspectives that took place was exciting. We adopted 39 resolutions and still managed to finish the voting day early. The final approved resolutions are available here. The Executive Committee thanks the various members of the Chancellor’s Office staff and our many other guests who attended the plenary and participated with us. We look forward to an equally compelling and collaborative Spring Plenary Session on April 9-11 in San Francisco. Most of the presentations are now posted on the Senate website including the video presentations from three general sessions.  Check it out by clicking here.  

back to top Back to top

Task Force on Workforce, Job Creation, and a Strong Economy

At their November meeting, the Board of Governors authorized the creation of a state-level Task Force on Workforce, Job Creation, and a Strong Economy. The task force will have twenty-six members, roughly half representing constituencies within the community college system and half representing industry and other external stakeholders. The ASCCC is working closely with the Chancellor’s Office to ensure strong faculty representation including a variety of expertise. More information on the task force, including a frequently asked questions document, can be found on the Doing What Matters Website by clicking here.  

In preparation for the task force, the Chancellor’s Office is holding regional meetings around the state to gather input and ideas for the task force members to consider and will hold town hall meetings in February and March to gather further input. The schedule for both the regional meetings and the town hall meetings can be found on the Doing What Matters website.

We encourage faculty to register for and attend these meetings, which offer an opportunity to shape the conversation regarding the future direction of CTE. Please select and send faculty to these free events.  The work of this task force is important, and we must ensure that the faculty voice is heard.

back to top Back to top

AB 86 and Adult Education

The AB 86 Workgroup at the state level has been expanded with representatives from a number of system constituencies as it moves into the next phase of its work. We have appointed ASCCC Secretary John Stanskas as a member of the workgroup, which is currently in the process of developing the legislative report required by AB 86. This work is conducted by reviewing the consortia reports submitted on October 31 that identified gaps in service to adults, the needs of each region, and potential solutions to ensure the education of all California’s adults.  The full composition of the workgroup can be found here.  Comments and questions for the workgroup may be submitted through the feedback link on the same webpage.

back to top Back to top

Technical Assistance Program

The grant that will fund the Technical Assistance Program under the Institutional Effectiveness Division of the Chancellor’s Office was awarded to College of the Canyons. College of the Canyons has been in frequent contact with the ASCCC regarding the creation of this program and has agreed to work closely with us on all aspects of the program that involve faculty.  ASCCC Vice-President Julie Bruno has been appointed to the Executive Committee that will oversee the grant.  We look forward to working with College of the Canyons and the Institutional Effectiveness Division to provide effective technical assistance services to our colleges.

back to top Back to top

The Community College Baccalaureate Degree

As most of you know, the Chancellor’s Office is now accepting applications from colleges that wish to participate in the Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program.  While these proposals are being developed at the local level, discussions continue at the state level to determine the standards and requirements for the degrees.  At the Fall Plenary Session in November, the ASCCC passed resolutions calling for the development of specific parameters for the degrees and for the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates (ICAS), the joint body of the ASCCC and the academic senates from the CSU and UC systems, to define the expectations for lower division and upper division general education coursework.  This topic will be on the agenda at the next ICAS meeting on December 15.  The Chancellor’s Office has been receptive to these discussions, and we continue to work to establish strong and appropriate standards for the degrees developed through the pilot program. For more information about the Board of Governors item related to the Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program, see item 4.4 on their November agenda.  

back to top Back to top

New Growth Funding Allocation Formula

At its November 20 meeting, the Consultation Council discussed the proposed new growth funding allocation formula.  More detail on the proposed formula can be found with the Consultation Council agenda here: The ASCCC was one of numerous constituencies that raised concerns regarding the formula. Chancellor Harris and Vice-Chancellor of Finance and Facilities Dan Troy acknowledged these concerns but also noted that various aspects of the formula were mandated in SB 860, the education budget trailer bill, and were therefore not a matter of choice for the developers of the formula.  The Consultation Council urged the chancellor to seek an extension before implementation of the formula in order that a better outcome might be achieved. We will provide further information on this issue when it is available.

back to top Back to top

ASCCC Strategic Planning

In September and October, the ASCCC Executive Committee worked to develop draft goals and outcomes that would form the basis of a strategic plan for the organization.  These goals and outcomes were presented for feedback at a breakout at the Fall Plenary Session.  On December 6 the Executive Committee met to incorporate the feedback from the breakout, the further refine the draft goals and objectives, and to add draft strategies to the plan.  Further information on the strategic planning process can be found on the ASCCC website by clicking here. The next step in the process is to send out the current draft plan for your input.  By December 11, we will provide a link to a web-based survey through which you will be able to comment on the goals, outcomes, and strategies.  We urge you to send us your comments and suggestions in order to ensure that the strategic plan truly reflects the direction in which you wish to see the organization move.

back to top Back to top

Upcoming Executive Committee Meetings

The next Executive Committee Meeting will be held on January 9 and 10 at Modesto Junior College (Friday) and the Modesto Doubletree Hotel (Saturday).  The following meeting will take place on February 6-7 in San Jose, with the Friday portion of the meeting being held at San Jose City College.  We welcome all interested faculty and other guests to join us at our meetings to hear our discussions first hand and to interact and participate with us.  The meeting agenda and other logistical information will be posted on the ASCCC website here by the end of the month.  

back to top Back to top

Upcoming events

Be sure to sign up for the following ASCCC events in 2015:
Accreditation Institute, February 20-21 at the San Mateo Marriott
Academic Academy on Student Success and Equity, March 13-14 at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa
Vocational Leadership Institute, May 8-9 at the Sheraton La Jolla
Faculty Leadership Institute, June 11-13 at the San Jose Marriott
Curriculum Institute, July 9-11 at the Anaheim Doubletree

The Executive Committee wishes all of you a happy and safe holiday season.  We look forward to continuing to work with you and serve you in 2015.

back to top Back to top

ASCCC Facebook Page

Facebook Like Button

The ASCCC Facebook Page is an additional resource for receiving information about events and other activities.  

back to top Back to top

Footer