I. Call to Order/Roll Call
The meeting was called to order by President
Dianne McKay at 2:10 p.m.
| A | P | A | P | ||
| Chiang (Ext. 3424) Math | X | Hudak (Ext.3419) ESL | X | ||
| Collins (Ext.2708) StudDev | X | McKay (Ext. 3418) Pres | X | ||
| Cordero(Ext. 3142) Stud Dev | X | Monroe (Ext. 3349) Tech | X | ||
| Cowels (Ext.3301) AAS | X | Patton (Ext. 3402) Comm | X | ||
| DelFrate (Ext. 3339)CommSv | X | Smith (Ext.3223) CommServ | X | ||
| Flolo (Ext.3309) AAS | X | Wilson (Ext. 3407) Comm | X | ||
| Grams (Ext. 2195)AF/SocSci | X | Other: Wain, Bui (ASB Reps) | X |
II. Approval of the Minutes
The minutes for the October 8, 1998, meeting
will be submitted for approval at the next Senate meeting, October
22, 1998.
III. Order of the Agenda
The Senators agreed to suspend the Order
of Agenda to accommodate the guests and address Item VII.A (Discussion
on New Faculty Hires Ranking & Decision Process) as the first
order of business.
IV. Oral Communication from the Public
There was no oral communication from the public
at today's meeting.
V. Information & Announcements
1. A Board of Trustee's Candidates' Forum has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 1998,
in the Front Lobby at Mission College, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. All students, faculty,
classified staff, and administrators are
encouraged to attend.
As agreed, the order of agenda was suspended and moved to Item VII.A.
VII. Old Business
A. Discussion on New Faculty Hires Ranking & Decision Process
Dianne explained that at last week's Senate
meeting two motions were presented to the Academic Senate on behalf
of the Student Services Council that related to the new faculty
hires ranking and decision-making process. These motions opened
discussion on the ranking and selection process that took place
within the Division Chair Council (DCC), which indicated that
there was enough concern to warrant further discussion. Hence,
it was agreed that further discussion would take place at today's
meeting and that the Division Chairs would be invited to participate
in the discussion. Dianne noted that the selection of faculty
positions is one of the most important task completed by faculty
at the college level, and she emphasized that the purpose
of today's discussion is to try to reach consensus. She set
the tone for a professional and fair discussion of the process.
Two areas of concern were opened to discussion.
One issue is the process by which positions were ranked and the
other is the decision-making process itself. Some DC's stated
their concerns relative to the ranking process being calculated
as a vote without discussion within the DCC. Some experienced
discomfort at not being able to discuss the rationales for their
decisions in ranking and might have considered an alternative
ranking had discussion taken place. Others expressed the view
that they were comfortable with the process and felt they had
ample opportunity to discuss their rationales with others outside
the DCC venue had they chosen to do so.
The second issue of concern related to the
appropriateness of the Library Director having a vote on the DCC.
Dianne advised that she has recommended to the President, Rita
Cepeda, that the Organizational Information Group (OIG) be reconvened
to clarify the role and responsibilities of the Library Director's
position, particularly relative to authority, voting privileges,
etc. Win Shin thanked Dianne for making that recommendation;
she feels that the position's role must be defined and clarified
for the long-term success of the college.
A number of viable short-term solutions were
put forward for the Senators to consider:
1. Approve the list as is and send it forward to the President.
2. Revote with discussion.
3. Revote without the Library Director or tally rankings without Library Director's vote.
4. Revote on the last two positions.
5. Hold a second joint meeting of the Academic
Senate and the DCC and reach consensus.
Even though the third and fourth options listed above might bring about a different result, they were, essentially, removed from consideration, noting that to delete the Library Director's input into the ranking process would supersede the decision of the OIG. In addition, it is unlikely that the OIG would be able to resolve the concerns regarding the position prior to January, and this would significantly delay the hiring process. Lee explained that the negotiated agreement was to submit the list by the middle of October so that associate faculty members can have the first opportunity to apply for the permanent positions. A motion, "that the Mission College Academic Senate accept the list as submitted" failed (M/S/F - Smith/Hill). A motion, "that the Mission College Academic Senate await the decision of the OIG on the position of the Library Director before any ranking for an alternate list is done" also failed (M/S/F - Hudak/Wilson), and the Senators agreed to continue discussion beyond the slated time limit.
The discussion continued for some time, both
the Senators and the DC's present shared information, feelings,
and rationales for their positions. Ultimately, it was stated
that, in the future, the Academic Senate and the DCC must consider
what the college's needs are when selecting faculty positions,
even considering the needs of departments that have not submitted
a request for new faculty, but, by necessity, should be considered
in the best interests of the college. It was agreed that the
kind of dialogue taking place today should have taken place at
the joint meeting of the DCC and the MCAS. In addition, it was
agreed that the DC's, the Senate members, and the student representatives
would have been in a better position to discuss their rationales
and criteria for supporting certain positions if the request packets
had been distributed prior to the meeting with ample time for
review.
Long-term and short-term solutions were listed as follows:
Long-Term Solutions:
1. Review and Clarify Process and Define Consensus versus Vote
2. Have two levels of discussion - one with DCC and MCAS, one within the DCC
3. OIG clarify role, responsibility, authority, etc. of Library Director
4. Distribute Request Form Packets to Senators, Student Reps, and DC's with ample
time to review prior to a joint meeting.
5. Schedule an Open Forum for early Spring to discuss New Faculty Positions.
Short-Term Solutions:
1. DC's vote again without Library Director
2. Discuss ranking of last position and the position below
3. List to remain as submitted and is forwarded
to the President
All the options were considered and discussed
at length. Ultimately, it was pointed out that the faculty is
empowered by legislation and through the Academic Senate to make
decisions regarding the hiring of new faculty. If each entity
opts to forward its own list to the President, faculty will forfeit,
by action, its right and privilege to make this significant decision
to the President. Last year, the Senate approved a list submitted
by the DCC even though there were serious reservations relative
to the process and the selections. This year, although not perfect,
the process was greatly improved and the list is more than satisfactory.
The purpose of this meeting was to give everyone a chance to share
their concerns and views. A number of solutions have been offered
and Dianne and Lee assured that they will be considered and implemented,
thus improving the process further. A motion was made and passed
(M/S/P - Hill/Cowels) to reconsider the previous motion (M/S -
Smith/Hill), "that the Mission College Academic Senate accept
the list as submitted." The reconsidered motion passed.
Due to the hour, it was agreed that the remaining
business items on the agenda would be postponed to the next Senate
meeting, October 22, 1998.
X. Correspondence, Publications, & Announcements
Correspondence
1. Copy of letter dated October 15, 1998, to the candidates for the WVMCCD Board of Trustees. 2. Copy of letter dated October 7, 1998, from Rita Cepeda to Kirk Murray re: Chancellor and
President Search.
3. E-mail dated October 14, 1998, from Jan Leonard re: Budget Process Review Team Members.
Publications/Minutes
1. The Fall 1998 issue of The News from the Community College League of California.
2. The October 9, 1998, issue of DVC Forum.
3. The September 1998, issue of UPDATE from ACE.
4. The approved minutes for the September 17, 1998, meeting of the ACE Executive Council.
5. The agenda for the October 15, 1998, meeting of the M-WV Land Corporation and its minutes
for September 17, 1998, meeting.
6. A copy of Chancellor address on the state of CCC's at the Fall Leadership
Conference, October 1, 1998.
Announcements/Conferences
1. The NISOD International Conference on Teaching & Leadership Excellence will be held in
Austin, Texas, May 23-26, 1999.
2. The 4th Annual Northern California Advocates for Global Education on Friday, November 6, 1998, in San Francisco.
3. A two day hands-on Technical Institute at Mission College will be held October 23-24, 1998. For more information call Cherie Leonard at Ext. 2723.
*** 4. The WV-MCCD Grants and Advancement Offices, the MC Academic Senate, and the MC President's Office are seeking to identify faculty who are interested in serving during the 1998/99 and 1999/00 academic years as a resource development liaison. Up to .5 FTE release/assigned time is available for Mission College for this purpose. Additional information
is available from the Academic Senate Office.
XI. Future Agenda Items
No future agenda items were added at today's
meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m. (M/S/U
- Patton/Cowels). These minutes are respectfully submitted by
Grace Hazán, Academic Senate Secretary.