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SPEAKING OF THE SENATE |
by Peggy Renner, Senate, President
I
have two key points. First,
I would like to offer a state of the Senate report and then ask you all
to let us know what you think the Senate needs to address next year. I would
also like to thank Sid Kolpas, Joe Denhart, Pat Zayas, David Jones, and
Linda Winters, who have served on the Senate Executive and attended to
the many duties assigned to their positions. Each of them has spent long
hours attending to their work assignments and to the Senate’s work.
Together they have helped the Senate accomplish its many goals. Their
advice and consultation have been invaluable. Additionally,
I would like to thank Arlene Guillen for the support she has provided to
the Senate this year. Arlene came to us this year and took on the big
job of helping us handle all the details of the transition to the
compressed calendar. She stepped up to the plate with no knowledge of
Glendale College culture, and she has done a marvelous job. Without her
we could not have done the Senate’s work. The Senate
has accomplished a long list of the goals it set for itself and I want
to congratulate and thank the senators and colleagues for their work on
Senate task forces. Many met bi-weekly or even more often when
necessary. Some even met during the winter session in order to complete
their work. Included
among the task forces is the Student Success Task Force, which has been
concerned with the impact that the compressed calendar had on student
success. Over the course of the year the task force has collected data
on student performance. At this time the data are being collected and
analyzed, and according to Sid, look very interesting. A report will be
forthcoming in the fall. This task
force has also explored the impact that the compressed calendar has had
on faculty. As the faculty knows, the days did not get any longer when
we compressed the calendar nor did the quantity of work decrease. That
has meant that the work we do with and for our students—as
instructors, counselors or librarians—has to be done in fifteen, not
seventeen, weeks. The task force is exploring what this impact has been,
and that may offer us hard data to use as we devise strategies for
attending to the problems/concerns. The Hiring
Allocations Task Force report has been approved by the Senate and now
will make its way through the approval process. The proposal will allow
us to link data from Program Review to the budget decision-making
process, using set and agreed-upon standards. If you would like to see
the report, you can find it on the Senate web page. (Yes, we have
finally been able to correct the problems on the Senate web page and now
we can post materials.) The Writing
Across the Curriculum and the Research Across the Curriculum Task Forces
have returned reports and made recommendations. Each division senator
has a copy of these reports, or you can find them on the Senate web
page. Please look at them and let your senator know your thoughts. PFE funds
are available for faculty grant proposals designed to meet partnership
goals—retention, completion of degrees and/or certificates, successful
course completion, work force development, transfer, and basic skills. The Hiring
Policies Task Force has worked all year to revise the guidelines and
rules we use for hiring full-time and adjunct faculty and will soon be
ready to send the report to the Senate. It will then move through the
approval process to the Board. It has also
been agreed that the Curriculum and Instruction Committee (C&I) will
be co-chaired. AB 1725 specifies that the review and approval of
curriculum and instruction is a faculty responsibility. When Dave Mack
was promoted to an associate dean position, it was agreed that a
co-chair for the committee would be the wisest path to take. Dave’s
knowledge of C&I is vital, and we need him to continue his work. At
the same time, he is no longer faculty, and it was thus appropriate to
establish a way to share the responsibility. The
Interdisciplinary Studies The State
Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges has revised the
Minimum Qualifications in several disciplines, and these changes will be
added to the GCC minimum quals. Of course, where GCC minimum quals, are
higher, the higher quals will prevail. The Equivalency Policy for
Minimum Qualifications has been revised and is on its way to the Senate
for approval. The guidelines covering Faculty Service Areas are also
being reviewed, as is required in law, and any revisions will, of
course, be reviewed by the Guild. Now the
Senate needs your ideas. In the fall the Senate will need to set its
goals for next year. Its responsibilities, as detailed in AB 1725 and
elaborated by Title 5 include curriculum, degree and certificate
requirements, grading policies, educational program development,
standards or policies |