Mission College Academic Senate

Ext. 5413

Approved Minutes

Thursday, September 5, 2002

I. Call to Order/Roll Call

The meeting was called to order by President Jane Patton at 2:06 p.m. The Senators introduced themselves and gave a brief update on their current activities.

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
Estrada (Ext.5164) CommSvc		X	Martin (Ext. 5356) Tech.	X
Guich (Ext. 5270) Social Sci.		X	Musat (Ext. 5331) Math		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. Ghiya (ASB Rep.)		X	Guests:

II. Approval of the Minutes

The minutes for the August 29, 2002, meeting were accepted and approved with the following correction and clarification as follows (M/S/P - VanTassel/Mancini):

Page 2, Item VI.A (Curriculum Committee), third sentence to be corrected as follows:

"Alex explained that the CRC will emphasize and take a critical look at courses from a "value added" perspective . . ."

Page 3, Item D.5.a (IMPAC Grant) - Ian clarified that the $550,000 annual funding to the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is specifically to run the major preparation articulation project statewide, with faculty from UC< CSU, and CC.

III. Order of the Agenda

Item VIII.C (Discuss District's Privacy & Confidentiality Agreement) was postponed until further notice. Jane explained that it appears this agreement falls under the jurisdiction of ACE.

IV. Oral Communication from the Public

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

V. Information & Announcements

1. Senator Rivas advised that the Global Education Committee is considering sending a group of interested students to Cuba.

2. Senator Rosner reported that the ESL Department is making changes to its curriculum, as agreed, to combine reading and writing, with grammar as a separate issue. It is anticipated that the changes will be ready by October 14^th.

3. Senator Brennan reported that the English Department has decided to link English 905 with a reading class. A subcommittee has been formed, a draft proposal has been written, and it is expected that the deadline set by the Senate's collaborative group will be met. In addition, the department is in the midst of developing a new course in applied grammar.

VI. Administrative Business/Actions/Appointments

A. Curriculum Committee - Alex advised that the committee will meet on Monday. Jane requested that the Academic Senate Office receive a full copy of the approved courses for its files.

B. Staff Recognition - A resolution was presented by Senator Lynne and unanimously approved by the Senators (M/S - Van Tassel/Brennan). The resolution will be presented at a future meeting.

C. Committee Appointments -

a) Program Review (PR) - Jane explained that the current program review process is currently under review as recommended by the Accreditation Team. The process requires departments to conduct a self-study every five years reviewing curriculum, facilities, and staff. In addition, the student services component and the administrative component is required to conduct a similar review, and the student services component was started last year. After meeting with Dianne McKay (Interim VP of Instruction), Dan Matarangas (VP of Student Services), Jody Hacker (Chair of Instructional Program Review Committee), and Lydia Harris (conducting program review for student services), it was decided that a task force will be formed to review PR models from other colleges. The intent is to ensure that the models are tied to budget and planning and includes outcomes. The task force will include representatives from the Academic Senate, the Curriculum Committee, the VP of Instruction, the VP of Student Services, the chair of PR, and will meet primarily this semester. The committee will prepare a proposal for presentation to the Academic Senate. Phil Mancini volunteered and Ellen McAlister volunteered to serve as an alternate. Both appointments were confirmed by the Senate (M/S/U - Van Tassel/Charland).

D. Oral Reports

1. Staff Development - No report

2. Instructional Technology Committee - No report

3. Program Review Committee - No report

4. District Information Technology Steering Committee - Senator Light advised that the committee will meet tomorrow, and an agenda and minutes will be distributed so that information is available. Marc reported that a consulting firm has been hired to determine the district's need for a Network Plan.

VII. Old Business

A. Consider Membership of Equivalency Committee

President Patton explained that applicants for faculty positions must meet the minimum qualifications established by the state and/or the departments. If an applicant does not meet the minimum qualifications, the application can be considered under the equivalency process. The committee, at this time, is comprised of the VP of Instruction from each college, one representative from each Academic Senate. Since the hiring of faculty is primarily a responsibility of faculty, Jane is concerned that should the faculty member(s) not be able to attend a meeting, only those present will make the decision. It is her recommendation that each college appoint two faculty members to the committee to ensure that the decision is weighed by faculty. She asked for direction.

The following motion was made (M/S - Van Tassel/Charland):

"that the Mission College Academic Senate recommends that the membership of the Equivalency Committee be restructured to include two faculty members from each campus and two administrators."

Discussion ensued, and some concerns were expressed regarding the selection of an individual for a particular class, as well as the lack of input and participation in the selection process by the department. Jane explained that the state Academic Senate's policy is that an individual not be given equivalency to teach only one special course, but rather be selected as a member of the department able to teach any course within the department. In addition, the committee does consult with an expert from the pertinent department. Although the committee considers seriously the input from the department representative, that individual does not participate in the decision-making process. She will bring that recommendation to the committee for consideration. She will keep the Senators informed of the committee's progress. The Senators unanimously passed the above motion at the end of discussion.

B. Continue Discussion of MCAS Constitution & By-Laws

A draft of revisions proposed last February was reviewed, and discussion centered particularly on two of the Academic Senate's standing committees, namely the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) and the Planning/Budget Committee. The latter committee has not been operational for some time and there is some overlap with the responsibilities of the CRC.

The need for the Planning/Budget Committee and how its tasks differ from the CRC was discussed. Jane explained that the Academic Senate has the responsibility to be involved with the budget planning process, and fulfills that responsibility by appointing faculty representatives to CBAC, GAP, and DBAC; the committee may not be necessary. However, such a committee could consider and determine the academic direction for the college and take a more proactive position when those decisions are made, particularly where there are concerns regarding space, financial resources, need, etc. Jane noted that the Accreditation Report indicated that the college is going through a growth spurt and the college needs to determine the path it wishes to take. She remarked that Mission College has hired approximately 50 instructors in the last three years. The college is growing and evolving and the Senate's constitution should reflect the current status of the institution.

Jane asked for direction on how to proceed, and it was agreed that next week's meeting will allow one hour for subgroups of Senators and CRC members to review and consider the current committee descriptions and responsibilities. The goal is to reach consensus on how to revise the constitution on this particular issue.

At this time, Jane advised that the Fall Plenary Session of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges will be held in Los Angeles, October 31-November 2. Any Senators who wish to attend must advise the Senate Office as soon as possible so that the amount of funds required can be determined.

C. Continue Discussion of Overall Review of Curriculum Process

Jane stated that the Accreditation Report recommended a rigorous review of the college's curriculum, with four specific recommendations:

• 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.

• that Mission College implement a process for the systematic, periodic review of its existing courses.

• that Mission College undertake a review of its general education program to ensure that the requirements reflect the newly defined values of the college and the needs of the students.

• that Mission College re-examine the spoken and written language competencies for its degrees and certificates and the means by which these exit competencies will be assessed.

Currently, many students are taking courses without the necessary skills required to be successful in the course. This is a disservice to our students and it behooves the faculty to implement the recommendations of the accreditation team and provide the students with an appropriate path. This is an enormous task that must be completed in the next five years before the next Accreditation Report.

Jane advised that she met with Dianne McKay to determine how to proceed. It has been suggested that a committee be formed to study documents from the state academic senate and the state chancellor's office on establishing prerequisites and how to proceed. It was suggested by PR Chair, Jody Hacker, that the committee members could then inform and assist those departments currently undergoing program review on the development of appropriate prerequisites. Once the process is completed and fine-tuned, the program can be expanded to the rest of the institution. Jane asked for direction.

A lengthy discussion ensued, and there was agreement that many students lack the skills needed for many courses and are struggling. The following concerns were voiced:

• A decrease in enrollment could occur.

• In the past, one class has been decimated by the requirement of prerequisites.

• Placement tests will be required and would necessarily involve a surge in basic skills courses.

• A shift in FTE allocation will be required for a short term.

• Changes to the challenge process/forms will be required

• The PGC Committee will need to reconsider the current WSCH/FTE goals while the transition is taking place. Departments that institute the prerequisites will have to be held harmless and allow small classes to survive the transition period.

• There are a number of options to be considered that will ensure the "buy in" of all those affected.

• The Board of Governors intends to change Title 5 to include the Information Competency requirement by August 2003.

Jane explained that the requirement of prerequisites historically has not had the effect of reducing enrollment. The benefits to students, however, have been noted. It was stated that prerequisites will ultimately increase retention and the success of our students, helping them stay in focus and succeed in their learning process. It was suggested that this topic be agendized for discussion at a District Academic Senate meeting. Jane asked the Senators to discuss this issue with their constituents and to be prepared to respond to their concerns. This is an on-going issue and she will keep the Senate informed on how the process progresses.

VIII. New Business

A. Elect Senate Vice President

Jim Van Tassel was elected as Vice President of the Mission College Academic Senate by written ballot. Jane thanked Jim as well as Erlinda Estrada and Jonathan Brennan for volunteering to serve.

B. Present Tenure Review Committee Lists

A list of the tenure review committees for newly hired faculty was passed around to the Senate members for their information.

C. Discuss District's Privacy and Confidentiality Agreement

This item was postponed until further notice.

X. Correspondence, Publications, & Announcements

Correspondence - None

Publication/Minutes

1. The agenda for the September 25, 2002, meeting of the Board of Trustees.

2. The September 2002 issue of Staff Organizational Development.

3. The agenda for the September 9^th meeting of the MC Curriculum Review Committee, and the committee's meeting notes for May 6, 2002.

4. The agenda for the September 4^th, 2002, meeting of DBAC.

5. The agenda for the September 6, 2002, meeting of the District-Wide IT Steering Committee.

6. The MC MCS Area Report for the week of September 5, 2002.

Announcements/Conferences

1. The Center for California Studies of CSU at Sacramento is sponsoring its annual conference, "Envisioning A State of Learning: Moving California's Master Plan for Higher Education into the 21^st Century" to be held September 26-27, 2002, at the Sacramento Convention Center. The registration fee is $90 until September 13^th and $115 after that date.

2. The Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is pleased to announce that guidelines for application to the 2003-2004 Carnegie Scholars Program are now posted on the Carnegie Foundation website. The application deadline is November 1, 2002. The direct link is: http://www.carnegiefoundation.or/CASTL/guidelines/

XI. Future Agenda Items

A. Consider Graduation Requirements (Patton)

XII. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.(M/S/U - Mancini/Charland).

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