Board of Trustees Report

Since the last Board of Trustees meeting the Senate has not formally met and much of my time has been spent on issues related to the Accreditation Midterm Report, the Basic Skills Initiative Committee, Learning Communities, meetings with academic Deans, and the agenda for our upcoming Senate meetings.

Accreditation:
The Accreditation Midterm Report has (as of the writing of this report) gone through a second draft process and has been viewed by the Executive Council (EC) for comment. From what I understand the EC is charged with "filling in the holes" in the document. Erin Farmer, the current report editor, has mentioned that submissions are still coming in and that there are areas that need more input. In essence, the document is in flux but is on its way to completion.

Last semester the Senate did create an Accreditation Committee. While the charge and composition of the committee has not yet been established it is clear that the process of producing the accreditation report needs the Senate's attention. President Fisher wisely urged President Kropp and the Senate to pursue a faculty driven model with at least one faculty member for each Accreditation Standard on this committee. I think that in the same way that Student Learning Outcomes are becoming an integral part of the campus culture, accreditation should, too. Dean Redfield commented in our Joint Meeting with Educational Administrators that we spend so much time "defending" ourselves that we don't have the chance to sing our own praises. My discussions with State Academic Senate representatives confirm the need for a strong faculty voice in the accreditation process. Accreditation should NOT sneak up on us. We can and should be prepared for the six year review cycle.

As a result of participating in the process of producing the Accreditation Midterm Report, I am committed to making the production of the next report more effective.

Basic Skills Initiative:
In order to familiarize myself more with our Basic Skills Initiative I attended its first meeting of the semester. Highlights included: a restructuring of the proposal and approval process for items from each area, a stronger connection between data, proposals and funding, and establishing consistent meeting times. Additionally, the different BSI coordinator terms have expired. These positions will be advertised this semester and filled before the spring semester. Most of the members of this committee attended a BSI conference over the summer and have come back energized for the new year.

Learning Communities:
I met with Brad Paschal, the Learning Communities Coordinator, to follow up on a conversation we began during the Flex Cal at the beginning of the semester. Brad and other members of the LC group participated in a conference as well this summer and have come back to reinvigorate Learning Communities at Solano College. Part of his plan may include the formation of a Learning Communities Subcommittee of the Academic Senate. More to come as details present themselves.

Miscellaneous:
I've met with the new Dean of Health Occupations, Maire Morinec, and hope to meet with Bob Johnson from Career Technical Education and John Urutia from Business. My goal is to familiarize myself with the Deans and their divisions.