Mission College Academic Senate

Ext. 5413

Approved Minutes

Thursday, October 9, 2003

I. Call to Order/Roll Call

The meeting was called to order by President Alex Braun at 2:15 p.m.

Senators	A	P	Senators	A	P
Braun (Ext. 5355) Pres/Tech		X	Martin (Ext. 5356) Tech.		X
Brennan (Ext. 5313) Comm		X	Musat (Ext. 5331) Math		X
Charland (Ext. 5046) Stud. Dev.		X	Oliver (Ext. 5427) AAS		X
Dooley (Ext. 5379) AAS		X	Perlas (Ext. 5041) Stud.Dev.		X
Estrada (Ext.5164) CommSvc		X	Rivas (Ext. 5282) CATA	X
Johnson (Ext.5277) CATA		X	Rosner (Ext. 5317) ESL		X
Laird (Ext. 5186) SocScience	X		Smebye (Ext. 5305) CommServ		X
Lavallo (Ext. 5399) Math		X	Zeisler (Ext. 5426) Comm		X
Other: B.Grayson (Staff Dev)	X		ASB Reps. B.Casillas, R.Holt		X
Guests: P.Hudak, D.McKay		X	H..Robles		X

II. Approval of the Minutes

The minutes for the meeting of October 2, 2003, were accepted and approved with the following addition to Item VII.A (Joint Meeting of DCC and MCAS re: Full-Time Faculty Hiring List), Page 2, last paragraph, second sentence to read as follows:

“During discussion, concern was expressed that there are some departments who have not submitted requests even though there is a great demand for certain classes, i.e. Biology, Chemistry, and CIT.

III. Order of the Agenda

There were no changes to today’s Order of the Agenda (M/S/U).

IV. Oral Communication from the Public

There was no oral communication from the public at today’s meeting.

V. Information & Announcements

A. ASB Representative Robin Holt reminded the Senators that today is the deadline for submitting a grant request.

B. A Transfer Night Event will be held in Center Space on Thursday, October 30, 2003. Robin asked that faculty encourage their students to attend. An outreach effort has been extended to all the high schools, and it is hoped that the event will be well attended.

C. Two experts on Learning Communities will visit Mission College for four days starting October 22, 2003. Mission College faculty attended a Learning Community Workshop last year and the site visit will include staff development activities on October 22^nd and 23^rd. Faculty are encouraged to attend and participate in the activities. Any questions regarding Learning Communities can be directed to Ray Charland, Dianne McKay, and/or Peggy Messerschmidt.

D. President Braun reported that the Chancellor has requested that the Mission College Academic Senate agree to delay the hiring of faculty as did the West Valley College Academic Senate. Alex explained that the WVC Academic Senate has agreed to defer eleven positions until Fall 2004. Alex asked the Senators to consider this request and be prepared to discuss this item at a future Senate meeting.

VI. Administrative Business/Actions/Appointments

A. Curriculum Committee -

* Dianne McKay, Chair of the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC), reported that the committee has been very busy reviewing course proposals, particularly from the Nursing and Foreign Language Departments. The committee is addressing any concerns with specific departments and the work is progressing. The Tech Review Committee, which usually alternates its meetings with the entire CRC, has been meeting more frequently and the entire committee will be meeting weekly for the next few weeks in order to process all the course proposals being submitted. Dianne noted that the deadlines for next fall are approaching, The Tech Review Committee must complete its first reading of a proposal by October 20^th and the first reading by the CRC must be completed by October 27^th. She recommended that instructors review their proposals with their representatives on the CRC before submitting it to the CRC.

* Dianne reported that she is currently working on a project in conjunction with West Valley College. The project involves developing a computerized web based curriculum development process. The intent is to create a database of curriculum available to everyone, and hopefully, will be able to generate Board docket items, outlines, etc. Currently, a review of the Fiesta program used by Cabrillo College is being studied. There are some concerns with that program, and the group is exploring the development of new software. In the meantime, all curriculum forms, documents, handbook, etc., are easily accessible and available on the web, thanks to Kara Dworak, at http://salsa.missioncollege.org/curriculum.

B. Staff Recognition – No resolutions were presented at today’s meeting.

C. Committee Appointments

1. Information Competency Task Force – The appointment of Judie Smith to this task force was approved unanimously (M/S/U Rosner/Charland). It was agreed that the committee needs additional members and should have wide representation. The best approach may be to contact departments individually, providing background information on Information Competency and its importance, to find someone interested in serving on this committee.

D. Oral Reports

1. Staff Development – No report was presented today.

2. Instructional Technology Committee –

* Pat Hudak, Co-Chair of this committee, reported that the committee met two weeks ago and almost all divisions were represented.

* He advised that a bad worm attacked the academic side of the network, and thanks to Randy Wu, they were able to contain the problem quickly.

* Kara Dworak put all curriculum information on the web using a program called Manila. Faculty will be able to develop a simple home page and post a syllabus. The program is very user-friendly and Curtis will be starting training sessions this week.

* The opening of the Foreign Language Lab (a wireless lab) in S2-501 has been delayed and should be fully functional in the near future.

* Fred Chow attended the meeting and reported on the Network Refresh Plan. IS has been given $450,000 to be split between the two colleges to upgrade outdated equipment in network closets, both administrative and academic.

* The college has received a generous donation from Cisco, thanks to Jonathan Brennan, providing additional equipment for expansion.

* Pat reported that Blackboard, hosted by the California Virtual Campus, is down to one site with one person supporting 23,000 students. This will be a major issue and could turn out to be expensive. The State Academic Senate is looking into the problem and considering alternatives to Blackboard. Curtis Pembrook will coordinate and call a meeting of the Distance Learning Committee in the near future.

* The TUC (Trade Up Computers) report indicates that everyone should have a G3 computer by now and PC users have received upgrades as well. IS is working hard to accomplish that.

* The committee will work on the Technology Plan and the goals described in the plan. The committee is reviewing the current structure and Pat presented a proposed structure. He noted that an ADA representative is needed to serve on the committee to ensure technical compliance under Section 508. The final version of the committee structure will be brought back to the Senate for consideration.

VII. Old Business

A. Discuss Status of Resolution of No Confidence in Chancellor

President Braun stated that he had no report to present at this time other than that the second meeting of the Roundtable discussion took place last week. A new Senator asked the Senators how they view the Chancellor’s current actions. Is he moving in the right direction as stated by Trustee Lucas at last week’s meeting, or is the situation status quo.

Several Senators spoke to the issue, and, although the Roundtable discussions appear to be a movement in the right direction, there is, as yet, little hard detailed evidence that demonstrates significant improvement. During discussion, it was stated that there are a number of deep issues that remain to be addressed. The true test of the situation will not come until we see how the Chancellor handles the possible budget crises in January and how faculty will be involved in the decision-making process. It was suggested that the Senate take a proactive position and invite the Chancellor to address the Senate regarding his plan to handle the budgetary crisis within the meaning of shared governance and with respect to the specifics in the Bill of Particulars. Alex stated that the Chancellor advised him that he would address those points as the opportunities present themselves.

Discussion veered to the budget and concern was expressed about possible mid-year cuts in January. It is hoped that DBAC is considering several scenarios based on possible events rather than just the worst-case scenario. It was explained that no news on the budget will come from the state until January 10^th, 2004, followed by a meeting on January 15^th. Any information coming out of those meetings is not necessarily representative of the final outcome. It is possible that the state could decide that the community college system was over-funded for 2002/03 and adjust a budget that has already been spent. The Board of Trustees will hold a budget workshop on January 31^st to determine how to proceed. The Workshop is an open meeting, usually held at Los Gatos Inn. It was suggested that the Senate work together and formulate how it sees itself working in shared governance. It may not be as simple as perceived. Faculty will find they will be pulled in different directions based on alliances with union, their values, and the available information. In the midst of last year’s crisis, Mission College people involved in the discussion stayed at the table and continued to consider options, much to their credit. The college was able to offer a relatively full program and it was not an easy task. The Academic Senate must face the challenge to determine the kind of leadership it can provide.

As discussion continued, the philosophy of the Board was considered, as well as the Chancellor’s definition of shared governance, his basic approach to, and his understanding of, shared governance. The shared governance issue is critical and is of great concern. It is important that the Chancellor respond to the Bill of Particulars and to discuss past decisions in context of how he intends to move forward. His original responses are either non-responsive, evasive, and/or non-conclusive. It is hoped that he would have different responses at this time. Ultimately, it was agreed that an invitation will be extended to the Chancellor to address the Senate’s concerns in the near future.

B. Discuss Accreditation Mid-Term Report

President Braun advised that in 2001, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges advised that a Mid-Term Report, due November 1, 2004, should focus on the following:

1. The team recommends that Mission College identify outcome measures or performance indicators and means to assess those measures for its major college and program objectives.

2. The team recommends that Mission College develop, refine, and implement its program review and evaluation processes for both instructional and non-instructional programs to provide a tighter link to the planning goals and directions.

The Senators also received a copy of a document composed by Hoke Simpson, past President of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, entitled, “The New Accreditation Standards: Guidelines for the Field.” Alex advised that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has taken a position against the call for measurable student outcomes as has the American Association of University Professors. Both bodies have advised the Accrediting Commission of their positions on this matter. Part of the problem is that the term “measurable student outcomes” is not clearly defined. The intent of the new accreditation standards is to develop measurements that will indicate what students are learning and how well teachers are teaching.

A philosophical discussion on the topic ensued, with Senators and guests sharing views and opinions. The argument against measurable student outcomes is based on a question Alex asked of the Senators. He asked the Senators to ponder any significant learning breakthrough they have experienced that made them grow as a student, person, etc. How would they measure that learning experience in terms of specific measurable student outcomes? Senators had a difficult time answering this question because that kind of learning and growth experience is very difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. Harriett stated that she serves as President of the Research and Planning Group for the California Community Colleges, and, therefore, is aware of attempts to develop measurable student outcomes at other colleges. Most colleges want to be proactive in understanding outcome measures. Colleges are not in the business of changing peoples’ lives. Colleges are in the business of moving students from one skill level to another. Further, The ACCJC is not dictating how to measure student outcomes, just that we develop same. The ACCJC is asking us to describe what faculty at colleges are doing to measure student success on a system-wide basis and share what works and what doesn’t. The state Academic Senate argues that the current method of determining what students learn is already in place, but needs improvement.

Alex suggested that the Senators review Hoke Simpson’s document and consider how to organize the Academic Senate’s contribution to the writing of this report, which will probably take place next Spring.

C. Discuss Role and Responsibility of DBAC and Bam Subcommittee

This item was postponed to a future meeting.

VIII. New Business

A. Consider Graduation Requirements w Respect to Mathematics

This item was postponed to a future meeting.

B. Discuss Emeritus Faculty on Tenure Review Teams

The Senators were provided with a written response, as requested, from Dave Fishbaugh regarding the issue of emeritus faculty serving on Tenure Review Teams. Harriett Robles, Vice President of Instruction, noted that the ACE contract is clear regarding the composition of Tenure Review Teams and the replacement process. The contract calls for Regular faculty in Satisfactory Status to serve on the teams. It is a serious problem for non-tenured faculty to be dependent on someone with no ties to the college for his/her evaluation. One could invalidate the appraisal because the person is not accountable to the college. Non-tenured faculty members deserve to have a current member of the college and someone current in the field on their teams. There is no provision in the contract for emeritus faculty to serve on a tenure review team, and ACE and the district are currently discussing the matter.

Many faculty retired last spring, and with prior knowledge, a reasonable transition could have been made. Unfortunately, the issue of how emeritus faculty are viewed by the district has become embroiled in the discussion. It was stated during discussion that there is currently a tremendous load on faculty and allowing emeritus faculty to serve is valuable for many reasons. In response, it was stated that approximately 40% of eligible faculty are not serving on committees at all. In addition, faculty from our sister college and other colleges could be asked to serve. It was stated that a shared pool does not work, and leaving the position vacant rather than allow a retired faculty member to continue work already started does not seem to be the wisest option available. It would be better to have emeritus faculty than no faculty at all. Another concern is that the decision regarding the vacancy is left to the department chair, who may or may not be within the discipline of the person being evaluated.

Alex explained that the issue was raised at West Valley College. Apparently emeritus faculty were removed from a Tenure Review Team during the last semester of the review. Harriett reiterated that it is in violation of the contract to allow emeritus faculty to continue serving on a team. In the meantime, Alex and Harriett will need to complete committees that currently have a vacancy. Alex will advise the administration and ACE of the Senate’s concerns and views.

X. Correspondence, Publications, & Announcements

Correspondence

Publication/Minutes

1. The agenda for the October 1, 2003, meeting of DBAC and the agenda and minutes for September 17, 2003.

2. The agenda for the October 8, 2003, meeting of GAP and summary notes for September 24, 2003.

3. The agenda for the October 2, 2003, meeting of the Board of Trustees.

4. The agenda for the September 29, 2003, meeting of the MC Curriculum Review Committee.

Announcement/Conferences

XI. Future Agenda Items

A. Review Program Master Planning Process w Jody Hacker (October 16, 2003)

B. Second Joint Meeting of the DCC and the MCAS to Review List of New Hires (October 16)

C. Consider Delay of Hiring Faculty (October 16)

C. Review Issues re: Compressed Calendar

D. Visit from Chancellor Arterberry

XII. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 4:05p.m. (M/S/U – Dooley/Oliver).

These minutes are respectfully submitted by Grace Hazán, Academic Senate Secretary.