Mission College Academic Senate

Ext. 5413

Unapproved  Minutes

Thursday, May 18, 2006 

 

I.          Call to Order/Roll Call

            The meeting was called to order by President-Elect Cathy Cox   at 2:10  p.m. 

Senators

   A

   P

Senators

   A

   P

Beggs      (Ext. 5188)  AAS

 

    X

Mancini   (Ext. 5413)  AF/HM

 

    X

Braun      (Ext. 5355) Pres/Tech

    X

 

Martin     (Ext. 5356)  Tech

   X

 

Brichko    (Ext. 5222)  CATA

     

    X

Moles      (Ext. 5113)  ESL

    

    X

Cogswell (Ext. 5388)  AAS

    

    X

Ostrander  (Ext. 5274) Stud Dev.

 

    X

Cox        (Ext.5164)  CommSvc

 

    X

Paicius    (Ext. 5413)  AF/CATA

     X

 

Holt        (ASB Rep) 

    X

 

Perlas      (Ext. 5041)  Stud.Dev.

     X

 

Juncker    (Ext.5229)  Comm

    

    X

Rounds    (Ext. 5288)  Comm

 

    X

Kashima  (Ext. 5319)  ESL

    X

 

Smebye   (Ext. 5305) CommServ

 

    X

Laird      (Ext. 5186)  SocSci

    

    X

Szabados  (Ext.5289)  CATA

    

    X

Lavallo    (Ext. 5399)  Math

    

    X

Ting       (Ext. 5330)  Math

 

    X

Guests:  R.Charland, F.Chong,  

P. Hudak, M.Jahan, C.Lam,

 

    X

    X

Guests: A.Malchow, H.Robles        C.Toppel, C.Qzai, J.VanTassel, C.Vinson

 

    X

    X

    X

 

II.        Approval of the Minutes

            The minutes for the meeting of May 11, 2006, were accepted and approved (M/S/U – Mancini/Juncker) with the following correction to Page 3, Item VII.A, last sentence of second paragraph: the motion approved was made by Senator Rounds.

 

III.       Order of the Agenda

             No changes were made to today’s order of the agenda (M/S/U).

 

 IV.      Oral Communication from the Public

            Clement Lam addressed the Academic Senate as Chair of the Math Division and the Performance Goals Committee (PGC), noting that the PGC oversees enrollment for the college.  As stated in the minutes of a DBAC meeting approximately two weeks ago, the District is not meeting its enrollment goals.  The District’s strategy will be to use summer enrollment for next year in order to make base.  The State allows for Districts not to meet their base for one year only.  If a District does not make base beyond one year, it is reflected in the revenue the State allocates to the District. Clement advised further that there are two goals considered by the PGC.  One is the enrollment goal determined by the State and that goal is reflected in the revenue provided by the State.  The second goal is the WSCH/FTE goal set by the District and ACE.  These two goals oppose each other.   In terms of summer enrollment, it is estimated that the District will gain 600 FTES.  We need additional FTES for next year or we will not meet the enrollment goal for the year.  The District has set a high priority on the enrollment goal.  On the other hand, the departments are liable if they do not meet the their WSCH/FTE goals.  There is the possibility that some summer classes may have to be cancelled in order to enforce department goals.     

 

            This matter has been discussed at the ACE Council and the PGC has not received direction from ACE to date.  There is a meeting Friday, May 19th. This is primarily an ACE issue, but Clement wanted to bring this matter to the attention of faculty, particularly department chairs.   Clement reported that the PGC has asked ACE whether they would consider a lower WSCH/FTE goal for summer.  Cathy advised that the Senators discuss this matter with their constituents, both full-time and part-time There was consensus that this matter should be placed on next week’s agenda for further discussion.   

                                     

            Harriett Robles, VP of Instruction stated that the college owes Clement Lam an incredible debt for taking on the role of Chair of the PGC and noted that he is doing a marvelous job.  Harriett also congratulated Cathy on her election as President of the MC Academic Senate.  She noted that the relationship between the Office of Instruction and the Academic Senate is critical, and she expressed her appreciation for Alex’s leadership in the Senate for the last three years.  He too has done a remarkable job of representing the Academic Senate in so many venues.  Harriett remarked that Alex has always been able to cut to the issue and been instrumental in moving things forward.  On behalf of the Office of Instruction, Harriett expressed appreciation for Alex and the Academic Senate.  Harriett stated further that she is looking forward to working with Cathy in the future.

 

  V.      Information & Announcements 

            There were no items presented today.

 

VI.       Administrative Business/Actions/Appointments

  A.      Instructional Technology TF End of Year Report  -  Pat Hudak presented an end of the year report from the Instructional Technology task force. The report will be available on the committee’s web site (http://salsa.missioncollege.org/hudak/techcommittee) in the near future .

  B.      President’s Reports

            1. The Senators were asked if they would be able to attend a meeting next week, and it was agreed that the MC Academic Senate will meet next week.  

            2.  Regarding the motion made at last week’s MC Academic Senate meeting relative to the after-graduation celebration for faculty, the Senators were provided with information regarding cost and feasibility of such a celebration.  Several Senators indicated that they responded to Harriett Robles’ e-mail regarding the after-graduation celebration for Frank at David’s Restaurant.  It was stated during discussion that this Senate does not want to demonstrate support for the Board of Trustees in any way.  Faculty should be encouraged to boycott the affair at David’s, thereby making a statement to the Board, and that a separate celebration in recognition of  Frank’s departure be held on campus with only Mission College faculty, staff, and administrators.  Ultimately, it was agreed that the Academic Senate President should investigate alternative ways for faculty and staff to gather after graduation and convey to Harriett that the Senate will urge faculty to boycott the party at David’s and look for another way to celebrate Frank’s departure.  This matter will be placed on next week’s agenda for further discussion and consideration.                       

                                     

VII.     Old Business

 

 

   A.     Continue Investigation of Funding and Approval Process for China Recruitment Initiative Relative to the History of the Land Corporation w Particular Reference to Funding of International Student Program.

            Discussion began with several Senators stating their opinions relative to last week’s meeting on this issue and statements and comments made by the Chancellor and Dr. Schwartz.  After reviewing all the material provided and listening to the responses provided last week, it appears that the Board and the District administration are intent on organizing and moving forward with an outreach to international students, in this particular case, China, without consultation with faculty.  The Board does not appear to have any intent or interest in participating in shared governance.  At some point in today’s discussion, the Academic Senate will have to make a decision as to whether or not to investigate this matter further.

 

            Several Senators expressed their continuing concern with the manner in which the Board members and the administration planned the China trip, as well as the process used to obtain the funds allocated for the International Students Program by the Land Corporation.  Additional budget information obtained from PARIS was distributed, reviewed and discussed with some clarification provided by Dr. Chong and Carol Qazi.  There is still some question as to who controls the $180,000 budget that holds the money from the Land Corporation.  There is some indication that the money was supposed to go to the colleges to be spent at the colleges.  The question remains, how is it that the Chancellor spent the money?  Dr. Chong explained that the funds for the China trip came from the $180,000, part of which was allotted for recruitment in order to increase the number of students coming in to the District. The trip was viewed as a recruitment effort with the intent to expand the program.  Questions still remain relative to the $7,000 to Mr. Kao and whether or not it has been paid, and who is handling the $180,000 budget.  If the Chancellor is paying the $7,000 for some aspect of the China trip and it is folded into the ISP budget, why isn’t it included?  Dr. Chong stated that the accounts had not yet been established when the money was allotted.  The Chancellor’s accounts will be reimbursed when the other accounts are established.  The question still remains, if the Chancellor knew the money had to be used for China, why didn’t the matter go to the Board for approval prior to any purchase?

 

            Dr. Chong explained that the $180,000 budget allocation was half of what he had asked for.  It was his intention to hire a director if he had been given the full amount asked for, which was $360,000/year for two years.  The Land Corporation only allotted $180,000 for one year and the lion’s share of that fund will be used to provide support services for international students.  Dr. Chong also advised that he has the primary responsibility for the $180,000 budget, and he designated Carol to administer the budget on a day-to-day basis.  West Valley College has been asked to develop a budget for their needs.  Although Dr. Chong acknowledged that his vision has not been fully realized, the positive aspects are that the two colleges are meeting and developing brochures for both colleges,

 

            During discussion, it was clarified that the decision to build a District International Students Program long preceded the China Initiative, which is, in turn, a totally separate issue from the issue relative to the Land Corporation funds.  It was explained that Trustee Schwartz has always demonstrated an interest in international students and spent much time discussing same with Ken Colson and others to build up an International Students Program at West Valley College. International Student Programs can be a tremendous source of revenue as proven by other colleges in the area with such programs.  An international student pays $162 more than the normal fees and those funds belong to the college.  The primary reason that Mission College is ahead of West Valley College is because the International Institute closed its operations and turned all of its paper work and money over to the International Students Program at Mission College. The Land Corporation finally moved on the request for a budget around the same time the China initiative came to a head.   It was intended to be used as seed money to add to the IIS money. 

 

            When asked why China was selected and who was consulted, it was stated that China is currently the country of choice.  Although it is not easy to attain visas for undergraduate students, things change with the President (i.e. based on national politics).  It was also reported that Dr. Schwartz and the Chancellor sought and received information on this matter from a number of people. 

 

            It was noted that the Senate had been told that the International Students effort was not a program.  Yet, the District task force indicates that the money allotted for the International Students Program (ISP) is to provide staffing costs in order to expand the ISP at Mission College and West Valley College.  This would necessarily fall under Title 5 regulations and under the purview of the Academic Senate. It is clear that the Senate must apply political pressure to ensure that faculty, staff and possibly community members sit on the Land Corporation’s Board of Directors.

 

            One view stated is that a review of the budget is just part of a much larger problem, which is the lack of trust in the Board, particularly regarding issues such as the violation of the 50% law, the lack of shared governance, and failure to present all the facts.  This whole situation might have been avoided if there was a better relationship with the Board. President Chong was asked if he had any advice for faculty or Board members on how to better the relationship with the Board to ensure that matters are handled honestly.  Dr. Chong expressed his sadness that the organization needs to have these discussions.  He stated that he has great respect for the right of citizens to make elected officials accountable.  When he took this position, he was told that this District has a troubled relationship with the Board of Trustees.  He has watched the dysfunction in operation. President Chong stated, If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.”  As President of Mission College, he tried to give his best to the Chancellor and the Board.  One major difficulty is that only 20% of the employees of the District live in the District.  The people who work here and go to school here do not vote for the people who serve on the Board.  Unless the process of how the Board is elected can be changed, the constituents most impacted by the governance of this District have the least power to make a change.

 

            At this time, Cathy advised that she had intended to make a motion at last week’s meeting requesting that the District cease and desist from spending any additional money on a China initiative pending further investigation.  Sitting as the facilitator of today’s meeting, she feels it is inappropriate for her to make that motion and she asked for direction.  Discussion ensued, and it was reported that Alex has been in contact with FCMAT and has more information on the service they provide.  The decision on whether or not to take further action could be made at next week’s meeting.  It was emphasized that the faculty wants financial transparency.  The money for the China trip has already been spent and it is unlikely that the money will be returned.  The whole project demonstrates a lack of leadership and shared governance, particularly since the Chancellor advised that the District does not have a strategic plan in place. This decision was made without consultation with faculty.  It is the role of the Academic Senate to tell the Board and the Chancellor the direction the college wishes to take.  It was stated that many people are concerned about the China decision and the process used for moving forward with this initiative.  There is indication that the Board did not follow its own District Policy and further investigation needs to go along those lines, as well as concerns relative to the Brown Act.  Dr. Schwartz stated that there were no closed meetings on this issue, yet there is no indication in Board minutes from open meetings that this matter was brought to the Board as a whole.  A member of the Senate who is a resident in Santa Clara expressed exasperation relative to the Board’s action and stated that she will participate actively in the coming election.

 

            Due to the late hour, it was agreed that today’s meeting be adjourned.  The remaining agenda items will be placed on next week’s agenda.

 

X.        Correspondence, Publications, & Announcements

            Correspondence

1.      E-mail dated May 16, 2006, from Pat Andrews re: Tenure Review Process Completion.

2.      Letter dated May 10, 2006, from the Accrediting Commission with a correction to its Spring 2006 Newsletter.

            Publication/Minutes

1.      The amended agenda for the May 18, 2006, meeting of the Mission-West Valley Land Corp.

2.      The agenda for the May 18, 2006, meeting of the ACE Council.

3.      The agenda for the May 18, 2006, meeting of the District Joint Accreditation Committee.

4.      The agendas for the May 3rd and May 17, 2006, meetings of DBAC and the unapproved minutes for April 19th and May 3, 2006.

5.      The agenda for the May 10, 2006, meeting of the District Council.

6.      The agenda for the May 18, 2006, meeting of the Board of Trustees.

            Announcements/Conferences

 

XII.     Future Agenda Items

            1.   Discuss Issue of Performance Goals Relative to Summer Session & Base  

 

XII.     Adjournment

            The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m. (M/S/U – Juncker/Cogswell).  These minutes are respectfully submitted by Grace Hazán, Academic Senate Secretary.