Mission College Academic Senate

Ext. 5413

Approved Minutes

Thursday, November 7, 2002

 

I.       Call to Order/Roll Call

            The meeting was called to order by President Jane Patton at 2:10   p.m. 

Senators

   A

   P

Senators

   A

   P

Brennan    (Ext. 5313)  Comm

     

    X

McAlister (Ext. 5087)  Stud.Dev.

    

   X

Charland  (Ext. 5046)  Stud. Dev.

 

    X

Mancini    (Ext. 5855) AF/HM

 

   X

Dooley    (Ext. 5379)  AAS

   X

    

Martin      (Ext. 5356)  Tech.

    

   X

Estrada     (Ext.5164) CommSvc

 

    X

Musat       (Ext. 5331) Math

   X

   

Guich      (Ext. 5270) Social Sci.

   X

    

Oliver       (Ext. 5427)  AAS

 

   X

Johnson   (Ext.5277) CATA

   X

 

Patton    (Ext. 5296) Comm Stud

 

   X

Lavallo    (Ext. 5399)  Math

 

    X

Rivas       (Ext. 5282)  CATA

    

   X

Light       (Ext. 5717) AF/CIT

     

    X

Rosner     (Ext. 5317) ESL

    

   X

Lynne      (Ext. 5248) CommSvc

 

    X

Sippel      (Ext. 5118) Comm

 

   X

 

 

 

VanTassel (Ext. 5334) Tech

 

   X

Other: A.Braun (CRC)

     

    X

Other:  B.Grayson (Staff Dev)

       

   X

 S. Hanna (ASB Rep.) 

 

    X

S. Ghiya (ASB Rep)

    

   X

 

Division Chairs

   A

   P

Division Chairs

   A

   P

Chandler        (Social Science)

    X

 

Dinger   (Comm Serv/Tech)

    

    X

Chan, R.       (Student Services)

 

   X

Hacker   (ESL)

    

    X

Chiang          (Math)

    X

   

McKay (VP of Instruction)

 

    X

Cowels          (AAS)

    X

    

Messerschmidt (Communctns)

 

    X

Delongchamps  (CATA)   

   

    X  

Poe     (Natural Science)

   X

 

 

Guests

   A

   P

Guests

   A

   P

S.Bersola, W.S. Chiang,

    

   X

L.Harris, M.Jahan

    

   X

             

 II.    Approval of Minutes

            The minutes for the October 24, 2002, meeting were accepted and approved as submitted (M/S/U - VanTassel/Oliver).

 

            The following clarification from Carolyn Fisher for the minutes of the October 17, 2002, meeting was accepted (M/S/U - Van Tassel/Oliver):

 

            Referring to Page 3, third paragraph, last sentence:  Carolyn explained that the reason West Valley College does not have an inter-session is because the WVC administration does not have enough FTE to support an inter-session.  Therefore, the item was pulled from the negotiation table.

             

III.    Order of the Agenda

         It was agreed (M/S/U - VanTassel/Rivas) that the order of the agenda will be changed to accommodate Jody Hacker, and Item IX.A will be addressed immediately following Item V.A.

 

IV.    Oral Communication from the Public

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

 

            At this time, it was agreed, by consensus, that Item VI will be addressed until the Division Chairs arrive.

 

VI.    Information & Announcements (College & District)

              1.   Dianne McKay announced that a meeting will be held at Mission College on November 19, 2002, in Conference Room A (tentatively set for 1:30 p.m. or 2:00 p.m.), to begin discussions jointly with West Valley College on early planning to seek a Title 3 grant.  She explained that these grants are federally funded at $300,000-$400,000 per year for five years and are awarded based on the need for a major college improvement or change.  The new accreditation standards involve learning outcome assessment and creating a community of evidence. Dianne advised that the recent WASC Accreditation for the next five years was awarded under the old standards.   There is a need to pay close attention to the direction we need to go in to evaluate student success.  If such a grant is obtained, strong and knowledgeable faculty will need to participate in establishing the outcomes.  The consultant who assisted the college with the last Title 3 grant will also attend the meeting, and will potentially write the grant.  Jane reported that the State Academic Senate is very concerned about some of the movement toward outcome measures and advised that faculty need to be highly involved in decision-making.

              2.   Jane expressed her good wishes and congratulations to Steve Kinsella on his appointment as President of Gavilan College.  She thanked him for his service to Mission College.

              3.   Fred Prochaska has asked each Senate to appoint a representative to the Innovation Fund Committee to review the current innovation fund proposals during the first week of December.  Jane was directed to put out a call for an interested volunteer.                                 

          4.   The American Council on Education and AT&T Foundation (ACE/AT&T) have joined to offer an award: Technology as a Tool for Internationalization.  Jane was directed to determine if the district/college is a member of ACE and, if so, to put out a call for submissions.    

          5.   Ian Walton submitted a written report of his Statewide Academic Senate Activities for October  2002, as follows:

                    There are two faculty members on the Board of Governors, appointed by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC).  They serve a two-year term and may be reappointed.  Last October (2001) the ASCCC submitted the names of Janis Perry, Linda Collins and Michael Anker for the position, held by Pat Siever, that was due to expire in January 2002.  The Governor has not made an appointment from this list and Pat Siever continues to serve.  This month, following their regular nomination and interview process, the ASCCC submitted the names of Irene Menegas, Janis Perry, Linda Collins, and Carolyn Russell for the position, currently held by Irene Menegas, that is due to expire January 2003.  Also on Saturday, October 12th, Mission College played host to the first meeting of the Relations with Local Senates standing committee of the ASCCC.  Ian chairs this committee, which includes two representatives of each of the four Senate areas.  The visitors were impressed by the college's new facilities.  The committee plans to meet here again, as does the Occupational Education Committee chaired by Sharon Vogel.

 

          The order of the agenda was resumed.

 

 V.     Joint Meeting w Division Chair Council to Review Ranked List of New Faculty

         Positions

            The Senators received a prioritized list of positions as recommended by the Division Chair Council.  Some Senators had indicated a need for background about WSCH/FTE.  Jane explained WSCH/FTE for those who were not familiar with the term and how it is defined. The Senate's role is to consider the academic perspective jointly with the Division Chairs who deal with WSCH/FTE on a regular basis.  It was explained that WSCH is defined as "weekly student contact hours," and FTE refers to "full time equivalent" and is equal to 1.0.  A department is assigned 1.0 FTE for each equivalent full time faculty person.  The ratio is used to measure the efficiency of departments, and the ratio varies from department to department.  The district has a goal of 525 WSCH/FTE, which is determined by a formula and is negotiable. The differential of ten increments is equal to approximately $300,000.

 

            Dianne explained that the amount of money that comes into the district depends on how many students are taught and the efficiency with which they are taught.  When a ratio of 525 is set, we are stating that, on average, each class will have 30 students. If the ratio is raised, the number of students must be raised for every hour of instruction.  Each department has a different WSCH/FTE goal and the enrollment management goal is to reach a total of 525.  It was noted that Jim Burrell has given an excellent workshop on this matter during flex days.  It was suggested that Jim be invited to present the workshop to the Senate.  At this time, Jane turned the floor over to Dianne.

 

            Dianne thanked the Senators and the Division Chairs for their work in weighing the data as prepared by the Office of Instruction.  The Division Chair Council reviewed the list on Monday, and she clarified that the number of faculty hires is based on growth, resignations, and retirements.  The state has a formula for funding positions as the college grows. The state sets the number and obligates the college to meet that number.   This is a separate issue from the goal of a 75/25 ratio of full-time to part-time faculty mandated by AB 1725.  The college is currently working to reach that goal, which is currently at approximately 65/35. 

 

            Dianne continued, explaining that the state funds $55,000 for each full-time faculty position.  If the college does not meet the state's obligatory number of faculty hires, the college loses $55,000 per position, but continues to teach sections with associate faculty at a cost of $36,000.  At this time, the Board of Governors is considering waiving the colleges' obligation by 50%.  If that is approved, Mission College will be able to reduce its obligation of five positions to two positions.  At this time concerns were expressed relative to the approval of any hiring at this time, and it was suggested that another meeting between the DCC and the MCAS be held to discuss the exact number of hires. This discussion will be agendized for a future joint meeting.             

 

            It was suggested that one way to reduce the ratio is to reduce the number of associate faculty. Dianne noted that these are difficult financial times, and they may continue for another two or three years.  If, however, the college reduces its number of associate faculty, the college necessarily limits the number of sections the college offers.  Once that occurs, it is difficult to keep the college growing.  The direction from the district is to maintain thoughtful growth and to remain well positioned to benefit from the good times, when they return.  The need for community colleges is proportionate to the economy.  When there is a downturn in the economy, people look to upgrade their skills and/or education.  The college is trying to manage enrollment to meet the needs of the students, manage the budget crisis, and position for the future.  This is a complex issue and a proper balance must be maintained.

 

            A motion (M/S - VanTassel/Brennan) was made to approve the prioritized list and hire the five positions and the automatic replacement positions in order to open discussion on the list.  Dianne stated that there are 26 open positions, which include the growth obligation, retirements, and resignations.  Five positions met the criteria for automatic fill; either recruitment efforts failed or a resignation was submitted prior to the completion of two years.  This leaves 21 positions for ranking, with the possibility of reducing that number by three if the state waives the obligation factor. 

 

            Discussion ensued on the particular rankings and the recommendations of the DCC:

            *  The Communications Studies position is dependent on the allotment of FTE to the department by the Performance Goals Committee (PGC). 

            *  The PE position is dependent on the possible resignation of a PE instructor currently on a one-year leave of absence.  The college is to be advised by January. 

            *  Due to concerns regarding the ranking of the ESL-2 position and the Assessment Coordinator position, several alternatives were presented: 1)  assign the Assessment Coordinator to serve 50% as an ESL instructor, 2)  assign a 50% Assessment Coordinator position, or 3) assign a full-time Assessment Coordinator position.  Discussion on this item ensued.  Most indicated that a full time Assessment Coordinator was badly needed and that attaching the position to a particular department was not wise. 

 

            The Senators offered the following observations and recommendations:

            *  The second Art position is a replacement for a faculty person scheduled to retire in 2004.

                 The CATA DC explained that the department is short staffed and if the status quo remains, the department will be left with one relatively new faculty member in 2004.  Currently there are three full-time faculty in the department and 11 FTE.

            *  The ESL Department currently has 75 sections; 40 are taught by associate faculty.  It will be difficult to ensure standard outcomes for students moving into Reading, English, etc.

            *  The Reference Librarian position is needed because of the permanent reassignment of a librarian.

            *  The Manufacturing position is needed to build the department.

            *  Distance Learning (DL) offerings have increased from ten to 53 over the last three years, and Mina Jahan spoke in support of a distance learning coordinator position.  At this time, the college has one instructional designer working with faculty on DL offerings.

            *  It may be appropriate to switch the Political Science position or the Art position with ESL.

            *  The Assessment Coordinator position should be a full time position.

 

            The above motion to accept the DCC's prioritized list failed, and the following motion was passed  (M/S/P - Lynne/VanTassel):   

 

            "that the Mission College Academic Senate recommends that the hiring process begin with the five automatic positions on the prioritized list."

 

            Discussion continued, and a motion that the Academic Senate reprioritize the list was withdrawn after Dianne explained that the process over the years has been that the Senate consider approval of the DCC's recommendation.  If there is no approval, there are two options.  One, the DCC and the Senate meet again to reach consensus, or, if consensus is unattainable, two recommendations are forwarded to the President - one from the DCC and one from the MCAS.  At this time, only two DC's remained and after a brief discussion, it was agreed that the Senate will invite the DC's to attend next week's Senate meeting to discuss and consider the Senate's recommendations.

 

            The following motion was passed unanimously (M/S/U - Brennan/Estrada);

 

            "that the Mission College Academic Senate approve the prioritized list from #1 to #17, and that the Division Chair Council and the Academic Senate meet again next Thursday to discuss the remainder of the list,  and to send forward the recommendation that the Assessment Coordinator be a full-time position."

 

            Those present were advised that the list provided is not for public information and must remain confidential until finalized.

 

            The remaining agenda items were postponed to the next Senate meeting.

           

XI.    Correspondence, Publications, & Announcements

         Correspondence

         Publications/Minutes

         1.   The ACE minutes for the September 19, 2002, and the October 10, 2002, meetings.

            2.   The November 4, 2002, issue of FA NEWS from Foothill-DeAnza Faculty Association.

            3.   The November 1, 2002, issue of DVC FORUM from the Diablo Valley College Faculty Senate.

            4.   The minutes and agendas for the October 21st and October 28, 2002, meeting of the Curriculum Review Committee and the agendas and minutes for the November 4the and November 6, 2002, meetings.

            5.   The agenda for the October 30, 2002, District Council meeting.

            6.   The agenda for the November 7, 2002, meeting of the Board of Trustees.

            7.   The September/October issue of the President's UPDATE  from the state Academic Senate.

            8.   The agenda for the October 23, 2002, meeting of GAP.

            9.   The meeting notes for the October 16, 2002, retreat of the Instructional Advisory Team.

          10.   The minutes for the October 16, 2002, meeting of DBAC.

          11.   A copy of the 2000/01 IMPAC Annual Report.

          12.   A copy of, "A Users' Guide to Diversity Practices in California Community Colleges from the City College of San Francisco's Promoting Diversity Practices Project.

         Announcements/Conferences

 

XII.   Future Agenda Items

            A.  Discuss Request for Additional Release Time for Academic Senate President (Brennan)

 

XIII. Adjournment

            The meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m. (M/S/U - Charland/Estrada). 

 

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