President’s Report to the Senate

Meetings:

FABPAC: Dr. Laguerre announced that on Monday the Vallejo Center was approved as a center by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors (BOG). As a result, the District expects to receive will receive $1 million for 2009-10 and the funding is ongoing. Chancellor Jack Scott commented that his first day on the job was at Solano College. Chancellor said that he's proud of the progress our college has made. Dr. Laguerre reported that the $1 million is allocated towards the Vacaville Center and at the next meeting we will bring forward some initial proposals for allocating the dollars. The District has essential staffing and service needs to fulfill for Vacaville like maintenance & operations, lab technicians, and so on. The Vacaville Center has been receiving $1 million since it achieved center status in the early 1990's.

The Variance Report: In FABPAC, several members indicated that the discussion on the report elicited more disagreement and discontent than was recorded in the minutes. The members had many questions and concerns about the report, the clarity and validity of the numbers, the disproportionate percentages, and were informed that responses were forthcoming. Jeff Lamb and Louis McDermott questioned expending exactly 75% of the year's budget. The report's variance numbers would naturally trigger a barrage of questions—how true are the numbers. Dr. Waits responded to the amendment comments by saying that VP Roth is currently intensely involved with Banner training six out of the last 10 days since the April 21 meeting. The short-term delay is expected to benefit us in the long-term. Generally, we would expect a response, however, it's her understanding that a definite date was not mentioned to respond. Last year's variance report format was provided to VP Roth, which staff is attempting to recreate. The comments will be shared with VP Roth.

SGC: In Shared Governance I provided a regular PERT and Accreditation update. We discussed the possibility of using the CCLC's Policy and Procedures numbering system instead of our own to facilitate the continual revision and editing of our Board Policies.

We further discussed some of the language in the 5000 series Board Policies and reviewed a new one, 1140, on Building Dedication Plaques.

Finally we received from Human Resources an updated ALG BP 4800 that reflects the changes in administrative structure after the reorganization and changes in the title and compensation of the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. The new title is Executive Vice President and there has been an increase in salary by $10,000. We were provided with a revised ALG salary schedule that includes a new step 53. Of concern here is that SGC had always expressed concerns about the workload and salary of this position. Dr. Laguerre downgraded it in order to make the re-organization more fiscally palatable. Additionally, the changes to the ALG salary schedule was not presented to that group.

PERT: The FABPAC provided helpful comments to the IPP:

Thoughtful discussion ensued on methods to help the proposer(s) know FABPAC's role and expectations in evaluating a proposal's budget. Comments and suggestions for PERT to be sent from FABPAC via Jeff Lamb include:

• The proposer should have a list of FABPAC's general guidelines on what it will look for. FABPAC agreed to begin the work to develop guidelines for distribution. For example, because FTES apportionment is general fund revenue, should a proposal "claim" FTES as a sole funding source when these dollars already "hit" and are allocated in many areas? Example: A PE Program's funding is proposed to be offset by FTES. A student isn't taking only PE courses. Is there a rule of thumb on what percentage goes to the program or course and what goes elsewhere? What is the expected FTES offset?
  
• We should have a fiscal services "fiscal review" of the proposal prior to the FABPAC committee review. This review would give the committee guidance on how the funding might work.
  
• The Review Groups could play a stronger role. RGs look at existing programs and determine if it's a duplication of efforts and to make a determination of how the new program fits with existing programs.
  
• Proposal needs to take into account the current state-wide budget climate—whether good or bad—to assess viability of passage and funding.
  For example,
  given the current budget climate, proposals should consider the state's focus on basic skills, transfer rates, and workforce development.
  
• It is helpful if the proposer can be present at the meeting to answer questions and mitigate concerns.
  
• One of FABPAC's charges is to identify potential funding sources, and when we do approve and fund a proposal, we have to somehow track all sources. Last year's proposals would be funded if there was money available—no specific budget was identified.
  

 

Additionally, we have been working on the metrics that accompany the Strategic Goals and Objectives.

Accreditation:

In FaBPAC, I expressed concerns that the work accomplished last year in creating the Special Report is in jeopardy this year in terms of accuracy on the fiscal side, vis-á-vis the Third Quarter Variance Report. Dr. Laguerre responded that this report was shared at the Supt/President's Cabinet meeting and they also had questions but there is an explanation for it. He noted that confusion arose because the 2009-10 budget was not set up properly—it was just rolled over. Categorical budgets were either lumped together or did not move over to 2009-10. Excel shadow spreadsheets were maintained to track budgets, rather than fully utilizing Banner. Training is the top priority so data can be extracted accurately, and staff is working very hard to rectify systemic issues. Prior administrators did the best they could with shadow systems—in the short run it worked okay, but in the long run it is not.

 

Events:

I represented faculty at the Vacaville Center Opening Ceremony and gave a small speech.

President’s Report to the Board

Meetings:

Area B: I traveled to Lake Merritt College and participated in the Area B meeting in which we reviewed and discussed resolutions that would come to the floor in Plenary.

ASCCC Plenary: In addition to several great workshops… one that I presented at…J the Plenary is a time of giving guidance to the ASCCC through a series of resolutions. In the resolutions, of note, were several related to:

1. Support for the Consultation Council's recommendations to the ACCJC. (Resolution 2.03)
   
2. Plan to infuse cultural competency (Resolution 1.02)
   
3. Two papers on Equity and Diversity
   
4. The questions of transfer and articulation that Robin Arie-Donche brought to the Senate was referred to Exec. (Resolutions 4.04 and 4.05)
   
5. Opposition to Proposed Modification of the California Community College Mission (Resolution 6.01)
   
6. Chancellor's Office MOU with Kaplan (Resolution 7.03)
   

Additionally, I went to a presentation on CCC Assess. (This links to a 2009 doc that has some information but is not current). It is a system wide effort to provide a "centralized common assessment model". Meeting for statewide faculty input are set for May 7^th and 8^th.

In the Senate:

Academic Council: Dr. Waits brought to the Senate revisions to BP 5200 on the Academic Council that reviews petitions from students on matters pertaining to their academic performance, enrollment status or registration/withdrawal procedures. The Senate is always pleased to get information of this kind from the administration and Dr. Waits is to be commended for doing so. Of note in the revisions presented is the request that students provide documentation to support their claims and that the decisions of the Academic Council are final. (In the past, students were allowed to appeal to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.)

We received a Treasurer's Report. In addition to the budget allocated to the Senate we have monies that are donated by faculty to the tune of about $141 monthly. Our current balance on this account stands at $9,273.00. We will have a few expenses before the end of the semester still.

The Senate is at the beginning of our election process. Daryl Allen is chairing this committee. We have several openings: the Vice President/ President Elect, the At-Large Senator, an Adjunct Senator and a one year adjunct replacement. We have put out a call for nominations and should be holding elections in the coming weeks. I hope to present the new Senate President Elect by the last Board meeting of the semester.

Our Distance Education Committee reported that it has asked all divisions to work on departmental guidelines for online instruction to ensure that we comply with Title V requirements and ACCJC standards. Also, the committee discussed concerns over the excessive workload on our Distance Education Coordinator. While the number of students who login to online courses and the number of online sections has increased, the reassign time for the coordinator has not. The committee brainstormed possible solutions to alleviate the amount of work the DE Coordinator does.

One of our Math faculty members, Corrine Kirkbride, presented questions and concerns about cell phone use in campus buildings, especially around faculty offices. She is looking to create a board policy to this effect. The Senate provided some guidance and input on her proposal. It seems that, in the end, the District's current BP may extend to the areas she is concerned about. More to come on this later…

The Chair of our Distinguished Faculty of the Year Award, Thom Watkins, has put out the call for recipients of this award. Additionally, LaNae Jaimez has agreed to lead our preparations for the Senate Tenure Tea to honor those faculty who receive tenure this year.

Our representative to the Banner Committee, Richard Kleeberg, gave an update on the functions of Banner that are of interest to faculty, namely the Course Studio portion. It seems that there have been some changes in the committees that give input to the decisions around Banner and we are re-grouping, as it were. We expect to hear more on Course Studio in the near future. The potential is to have course web pages for all faculty through Banner.

Other topics:

I spoke with Dolores Davidson who is on the "Relations with Local Senates" committee. I've invited her to come to SCC for our last meeting of the semester to serve as a resource to our new President and Senators. She will be available on May 17^th from 2-3, be present during out meeting, and then be available from 5-6, if necessary.

President’s Report to the Senate

Meetings:

FaBPAC: We discussed the three Strategic Proposals that the Senate reviewed some time ago. The discussion focused primarily on the feasibility of the budget associated with the proposals. It is important to emphasis that this kind of rigor is vital and an important function of FaBPAC in the Integrated Planning Process. Dr. Laguerre also brought forward news that the College has taken steps to have the Vallejo Center receive center status, meaning that we will receive 1 Million more per year to the general fund. Also, there is a good chance that we'll get a one-time payment of 1 Million for this year. We'll know more after May 3^rd when the CCC Board of Governors meets.

SGC: Of note was the discussion on the Board Policy 5000 series. For the most part, what was presented mimicked what Dr. Waits brought before the Senate some time ago. There some additional text added to the BP 5300 procedures. The following language what added:

"10. Mental Health Clearance

Mental Health clearance may be required before a student who has been disciplined for dangerous, abnormal or erratic behavior is readmitted to a particular class or allowed to come onto District property. The Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs (or designee) must receive a letter from a licensed mental health professional providing reasonable assurances that in his/her professional judgment the student will no longer continue the behavior which gave rise to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs (or designee) taking disciplinary action against him/her or that the student's continued presence on campus is not a threat to himself/herself or others. The mental health professional must be licensed by the State of California, and the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs (or designee) must verify that the mental health professional is credentialed to render a professional opinion. The student shall bear the cost and expense of obtaining mental health clearance."

I've been asked if the Senate has issue with this addition.

DE Committee: Agenda topics included;

Area B: I traveled to Lake Merritt College and participated in the Area B meeting in which we reviewed and discussed resolutions that would come to the floor in Plenary.

ASCCC Plenary: In addition to several great workshops… one that I presented at…J the Plenary is a time of giving guidance to the ASCCC through a series of resolutions. In the resolutions, of note, were several related to:

1. Support for the Consultation Council's recommendations to the ACCJC. (Resolution 2.03)
   
2. Plan to infuse cultural competency (Resolution 1.02)
   
3. Two papers on Equity and Diversity
   
4. The questions of transfer and articulation that Robin Arie-Donche brought to the Senate was referred to Exec. (Resolutions 4.04 and 4.05)
   
5. Opposition to Proposed Modification of the California Community College Mission (Resolution 6.01)
   
6. Chancellor's Office MOU with Kaplan (Resolution 7.03)
   

Additionally, I went to a presentation on CCC Assess. (This links to a 2009 doc that has some information but is not current). It is a system wide effort to provide a "centralized common assessment model".

Other topics:

I spoke with Dolores Davidson who is on the "Relations with Local Senates" committee. I've invited her to come to SCC for our last meeting of the semester to serve as a resource to our new President and Senators. She will be available on May 17^th from 2-3, be present during out meeting, and then be available from 5-6, if necessary.

Academic Senate President’s Report to the Senate

Meetings:

SGC: Shared Governance got a PERT update, an Accreditation update (see below), approved the IRB Policy, a Banner update, and spoke at length about the Strategic Proposals. The final ranking of which was: 1) Pathways to Success, 2) TLC Re-Design, and 3) Add a Women's Intercollegiate Sport. Also, Dr. Laguerre made a commitment to have the Tutoring Center moved out of the portables by Fall.

S/P Laguerre: I gave Dr. Laguerre a report on our team's visit to the ASCCC Accreditation Institute. See comments below. We also discussed Distance Education at Solano. I mentioned that in September when we participated in the ACCJC training that DE was an area that might need our attention because it touches on so many standards. I also re-iterated what our current DE Coordinator, Sandy Rotenberg, had shared with him about the growth of online and the need for more support for that position. Dr. Laguerre assured me that he understood the value of DE and had asked Tom Grube to take the idea of more reassign time for the coordinator back to the union executive. Additionally, he asked that our Senate DE Committee begin anew its exploration into new Learning Management Systems. Lastly, we also discussed plans a preparations for this week's Board Study Session/ Dinner with Faculty.

Board: Of significance to the Senate is that all those faculty who were up for review and/or tenure were approved by the Board. Also, for some reason, the SunGuard contract was postponed until the next Board meeting.

Other Items:

Accreditation Institute: In general, the outing was very productive. Solano sent a team with two faculty, two staff, one student and one administrator. The sessions were informative and strengthened our knowledge of the accreditation process. Based on what we learned, what we might want to do is re-examine our Program Review process to ensure that it will stand up to ACCJC standards. We tend to use our Program Reviews and Three-Year Plans as internal planning documents that don't get a full public viewing or attention. It might be a good idea to see about using them as a way of having "productive dialogue about the College's strengths and weaknesses". Also, while we have taken strides forward on SLOs, we need to ensure that we extend program review and Service Area Outcomes (SAO) not only to the Student Services side of the house but also to Administrative Services.

Area B: We went over the different resolutions for the Spring Plenary that have come forward to date. There are some very interesting ones on transfer and accreditation. Consultation Council.

Spring Plenary: I will need to attend the Spring Plenary to take place in San Francisco from April 15-17, because I am presenting, are there any other takers?

ASCCC "Relations with Local Senates" Dolores Davison from Foothill/DeAnza College has offered a visit to our Senate in early April. I have accepted with the idea that it would be a good idea for an ASCCC representative to observe our Senate meetings and serve as a resource for questions and answers about the Statewide Academic Senate. I also thought that our new Vice President/ President Elect would appreciate meeting her and having the opportunity to connect with the ASCCC and to ask questions about how to run meetings and navigate the Senate. When there are firm dates, I'll let Senators know. If for some reason this does not seem like a good idea, please let me know.

 

Senate President Report the Board

Meetings:

PERT: In the Process Evaluation Review Team meeting we reviewed one of the training video modules that Rob Simas and I produced on Operational Proposals, discussed the e-mail that Rob will be sending to $ALL soliciting performance indicators for our Strategic Objectives, and we discussed our systematic evaluation of the Integrated Planning Process to date.

Accreditation: As I mentioned in my Accreditation Update at the last Closed Session, I have held two informational meetings with the Accreditation Committee to give co-chairs guidance on how to move forward with the accreditation self-study this semester. My sense is that working groups have begun to meet and the campus has taken its first steps toward completing the 2011 Self-Study Report. Also, I have activities planned for the March 17 optional Flex Cal day. We had a nice showing for this work session today. Finally, there is a group of faculty, staff, and administrators who will attend the State Academic Senate Accreditation Institute this weekend. I'm sure we'll have plenty to report back on.

American River College: I went with Nancy Konecny and Susanna Crawford to American River College for a tour of their Learning Resource Center and to discuss how they have implemented their Basic Skills Program. We were able to glean some interesting insights that may inform our discussions

Distance Education: Rennee Moore has stepped down as the DE Committee for personal reasons and Dale Crandall-Bare has been selected by the committee to take over her responsibilities for the remainder of the semester.

In the Senate: This week the Senate met and had, as usual, a very full agenda.

Representatives from SunGuard came in to give us a glimpse of what a fully functioning MySolano portal might look like. In particular, Senators were eager to find out about the full range of services to available to facilitate communication with students. (Course Suites). Unfortunately, because while most of the services we were to see are "hidden" and not yet "turned on", the SunGuard rep was working from a remote server that had quite a few problems. The session served the purpose of introducing SunGuard to the Senate, but was not very informative. We do have plans to give it another try in the near future.

As the Board is aware, regrettably this semester because of budget constraints the College has had to eliminate the LD Specialist position and one of our faculty colleagues is being reassigned to another area. The Senate is always concerned about any possible steps toward Program Discontinuance that do not go through the District's approved policies. Our concern was that by eliminating a position there was the potential for a de facto elimination of the Learning Services Program. We had a very healthy and robust discussion of the topic. The Senate's position will be to ensure that the District follows its Program Discontinuance Policy. In our next meeting we are going to engage in the planned annual review of this policy to ensure that it meets our current needs.

The Senate will be holding a series of elections soon. The positions that are up for election are the Vice President/President Elect, one At-Large Senators, and about half of the Division Senator: Humanities Division, Math & Science Division, PE, & Athletics Division, and one Part-Time Representative.

Other items:

As Senate President I have requested faculty volunteers to serve on the FABPAC, the MySolano/ Luminus Committee, the Vallejo Expansion Committee, and the Equivalency Procedures ad hoc committee. Response has been strong for most areas. Mary Ann Haley from Cosmetology has volunteered for the FABPAC, Richard Kleeberg for MySolano, several faculty for the Vallejo Expansion and two reading and one DSPS faculty member for the Equivalency Procedures. I especially wanted to point out the Board the appointments to the Vallejo Expansion Committee. As I'm sure you recall this committee had no faculty voice and the fact that it does now is a very good step for the College.

President’s Report to the Senate

Meetings:

FABPAC: At the Financial and Budget Planning Advisory Council meeting we reviewed and forwarded to the Board the "Proposed Facilities Use Procedures and Fees". I provided an accreditation update. We were also informed that the College would not be going forward with the $1.8 million SunGuard that would include the hiring of the Chief Information Systems Officer.

SGC: The Shared Governance Council meeting of March 10 had PERT, Accreditation, Institutional Review Board, Banner update, Dinner with the Governing Board, Strategic Proposals, Policy 5000, the Board agenda and area updates as agenda items. The IRB will be voted on at the next meeting. It seems that its approval is forthcoming. The Banner update included the information that the College was going to move forward on a two-year, $1.64 million contract with SunGuard to make the last "push" to get the College out from under the Banner rock. This contract will not include the CISO position. SGC was able to discuss the Strategic Proposal on "Adding a Women's Inter-Collegiate Sport" to SCC. We still have two other proposals to discuss.

PERT: In the Process Evaluation Review Team meeting we reviewed one of the training video modules that Rob Simas and I produced on Operational Proposals, discussed the e-mail that Rob will be sending to $ALL soliciting performance indicators for our Strategic Objectives, and we discussed our systematic evaluation of the Integrated Planning Process to date.

Accreditation: I have held two informational meetings with the Accreditation Committee to give co-chairs guidance on how to move forward with the accreditation self-study this semester. My sense is that working groups have begun to meet and the campus has taken its first steps toward completing the 2011 Self-Study Report. Also, I have activities planned for the March 17 optional Flex Cal day. Finally, there is a group of faculty, staff, and administrators who will attend the State Academic Senate Accreditation Institute this weekend. I'm sure we'll have plenty to report back on.

American River College: I went with Nancy Konecny and Susanna Crawford to American River College for a tour of their Learning Resource Center and to discuss how they have implemented their Basic Skills Program. We were able to glean some interesting insights that may inform our discussions

VP ASA hiring committee: I wanted to let the Senate know that this committee has been meeting and is making good progress.

Distance Education: Rennee Moore has stepped down as the DE Committee for personal reasons and Dale Crandall-Bare has been selected by the committee to take over her responsibilities for the remainder of the semester.

The Board: The Board Study Session focused on an accreditation update, an overview federal education budget changes, and the academic calendar. Additionally, they discussed Dr. Laguerre's proposal for the Board to dedicate future study sessions to discussions with faculty, staff and students.

 

Other items:

As I'm sure most of you saw, I sent out e-mails requesting faculty volunteers to serve on the FABPAC, the MySolano/ Luminus Committee, the Vallejo Expansion Committee, and the Equivalency Procedures ad hoc committee. Response has been strong for most areas. Mary Ann Haley from Cosmetology has volunteered for the FABPAC, Richard Kleeberg for MySolano, several faculty for the Vallejo Expansion and two reading and one DSPS faculty member for the Equivalency Procedures.

President’s Report to the Senate

Meetings:

The FABPAC met on Feb. 3^rd and 17^th. The topics included a budget update, a discussion on programs that encroach on the general fund, internal controls relative to the district financial audit report, public records access request issues, and proposed facilities use procedures and fees. When discussion the budget, there have been some interesting comments regarding the inclusion of furloughs (a savings of around $500,000 for the District) and early retirement incentives (another potential $500,000 savings). As for the discussion on encroachment, the district "targeted" four areas (the theater, contract ed, community services, and SBDC) that encroached on the general fund. While these areas no longer of concern, the question remains about what other areas of the college encroach significantly on the general fund. This item has been on the FABPAC agenda for almost a year now.

The SGC met on Feb. 10^th and 24^th. The topics included: a report from the PERT, SCC's "legislative platform", information on accreditation, revisions to job descriptions, a discussion of the academic calendar, strategic goals, the need for coordination between hiring and finance via a staffing master plan, the Institutional Review Board, the introduction of several strategic goals, and a look at the Governing Board agendas. Dr. Laguerre put forth his steps to connect with our elected officials to further SCC legislative initiatives: a Higher Education Center in Vallejo, build a new Library with 50% State matching dollars, build a new Science and Technology Center, and a new Biotech building in Vacaville. We have been discussing the Dean of Academic Success and Learning Resources, the Chief Information Systems Officer and Center Administrator positions. The Calendar Committee has been working with SCFA to fix the academic calendar. The issue revolves around the week of Thanksgiving (and only having two instructional days that week) and compliance with the State. The suggested solution is to take optional days from the beginning of the fall and using them to take the entire week of Thanksgiving off… the problem would be that the Senate, for example, relies on the optional flex at the beginning of fall to meet. A solution is forthcoming. The IRB was presented for information and will be voted on next time. As for the Strategic Proposals that the Senate forwarded to SGC, they will discuss them at their next meeting.

The Board has met for a study session (Feb. 3^rd) and a regular meeting (Feb17th). The study session dealt with: a program partnership with Bay Area Clean Water Agencies, SERP (early retirement incentives), a budget update, a discussion on the Strategic Planning efforts, SunGuard Higher Education Presentation, and Emergency Protocols and Incident Command Center Update. Highlights from the regular meeting included the announcement from closed session that the Board has authorized Dr. Laguerre to issue layoff notices to one faculty position (the person will not be laid off but rather reassigned) and three staff positions. The Women's Soccer team and the Speech and Debate team were honored for their accomplishments this year. Also, Ross Beck presented the opening ceremonies of the Vacaville Center. Of note, too, was a follow-up presentation by SunGuard regarding a two-year contract for our CISO position and other support services that will take us to a full Banner implementation. This was a 1.8 million dollar proposal.

 

PERT: This group has continued to work on reconciling the former Strategic Plan with the new one. Additionally, they submitted a list of recommendations to Dr. Laguerre regarding ways to improve our Integrated Planning Process. The PERT is also discussing was of soliciting input from the campus community on the metrics used to evaluate our progress towards Strategic Goals and Objectives. Finally, the PERT will begin its annual review of the IPP.

Updates:

ASCCC: As I'm sure you all read in the most recent ASCCC President newsletter, the Chancellor's Office signed a MOU with Kaplan University. This was done without consulting the ASCCC or any other statewide groups. The blowback has been noteworthy. The end result is that post facto, the Chancellor's Office may hold meetings with ASCCC and other groups for their feedback. I received information regarding a local Senate Resolution on course section elimination in hard budget times from ARC. It seems that they have experienced difficult cuts without input from faculty. If it pleases the Senate I can present you with the ARC resolution and we can have further discussions at a future meeting.

Accreditation:

As we look to solicit more fully participation and leadership in the accreditation Self-Study, it seems necessary to provide an update on the organizational process to date and the plans for the near and not-so-near future. The goal of this document is to give you a sense of how we plan to move forward and how you fit into the large picture.

 

Where we are?

After our January Flex Cal training in which we used the wiki to facilitate a better understanding of accreditation standards and to provide resources about accreditation, we have a fairly good idea where faculty and administrators fit into the writing of the Self-Study. Cynthia Simon, CSEA President, is updating her list of which staff will participate where and will forward it soon. Ralph Myer, Local 39 President, will provide a list, as well. Nancy Blanc and Connie Adams have pulled together the sign-up sheets and those administrators who have been assigned to specific areas. We should have a comprehensive list for the entire campus shortly. We have also received the ACCJC response to our last Special Report. You can access their finding on the SCC website. In sum, they have eliminated recommendation seven on fiscal stability and we are on-watch for the other recommendations. While we still remain on sanctions, the good news is that the next Special Report won't be due until October 2010, one full year before our Self-Study. This means that they've given us one more extension on the two-year rule to resolve our deficiencies.

 

What's next?

In essence, we are moving ahead on two fronts; preparing for and writing a Self-study and responding to the ACCJC report with a Special Report with Visit. The plan is to keep these two efforts separate while at the same time ensuring that they are highly articulated. As for the October 2010 Special
Report, the goal is to keep those Working Groups related to the recommendations for which we are still on sanctions moving and writing. Look for an invitation to participate, but know that those faculty, staff and administrators who wrote the last response are on the task. As for the October 2011 Self-Study, there are some basic ground rules in place that might be a good place to start. Based on what we've learned since our 2005 Self-Study we know that writing narrative and collecting evidence is the responsibility of all employees. If you are in the Widget Department, expect to work on the area(s) related to your specialty. Deans and other members of the Administrative Leadership Group have participation in accreditation as a part of the formal evaluation. Expect to have accreditation on division agendas. All faculty who participate as a Co-Chair will not have to worry about optional flex hours for the next year and a half. These items have buy-in from Dr. Steinback and Dr. Laguerre.

 

Organization

We are in the process of creating an Accreditation Committee. The membership of which includes the Accreditation Liaison Officer (AL0), the Academic Senate President, the Director of Research and Planning, and the Editor (these individuals are the members of the Accreditation Steering Committee). Additionally, there will be Co-Chairs from each of the larger areas within the standards, eg. two Co-chairs for Standard I A, who are the additional members of the Accreditation Committee.

The Accreditation Committee will be responsible for providing input to the Accreditation Steering Committee and for reporting out to Working Groups, shared governance bodies, the Academic Senate, and the Board of Trustees. It will be asked to lead the College as we develop the Self-Study. This will include input on the pre-writing, writing, evidence gathering and postproduction phases. This group will establish and/or refine our timeline, expectations, and outcomes. They will also be a resource to the campus community regarding standards and "all things" accreditation.

 

Co-Chairs

The Co-chairs have been either selected or nominated by the Superintendent/President, the ALO, the Academic Senate President or the President of CSEA. In most cases they are a faculty/ staff and an administrator. Their job is to:

· Establish timelines

· Assign work

· Review narrative

· Ensure that evidence accompanies narrative

· Communicate and report-out

· Encourage participation

· Be available as a resource

· Use the wiki

· NOT do all the work

· NOT be an editor

In order to begin the process, co-chairs will be given a packet with the following resources:

1. Membership list

2. Timeline

3. Tracking Sheet

4. Style Sheet

5. ACCJC "Dos and Don'ts"

6. ACCJC rubrics

7. ACCJC "Questions to be asked"

Of additional importance as a significant resource for accreditation is that Dr. Laguerre has asked that we explore the idea of an Accreditation Self-Study Coordinator. This would be a one-year, 100% reassign time position that is to be filled by a full-time faculty member. This person would work exclusively on the Self-Study from the Fall of 2010 to the Fall of 2011. This represents a major commitment to the accreditation process.

 

Academic Senate Report to the Board

Information/Discussion items:

The Senate is actively engaged in a discussion about electing our next Vice President/ President Elect. The issue is that we are out of sync with our elections and are debating how to move forward. It is highly likely that we'll hold an election well before the end of the semester.

Our Director of Research and Planning, Rob Simas, presented the Senate with partial ARCC
data and a first draft of the College's 500 word report. The data in the ARCC report comes from performance data that is aggregated at two levels—the individual college level (core indicators) and across the community college system (system-wide indicators). The system-wide indicators are based on peer groupings (i.e. similar size and distance to transfer partners, similar levels of academic preparedness upon entry). It truly is an apple to apples comparison. Our response is, and our numbers, are important because the State Legislature uses this data to make decisions about California Community Colleges. Our local Academic Senate Senator's will come back to our next meeting ready to report back from their constituents and provide comments on the ARCC report.

Dr. Laguerre had presented to the Senate a few weeks ago the idea of having the Academic Senate President as a standing member of the President's Cabinet. I wanted to ensure that the Senate was in agreement with this move. Our discussion showed that indeed the Senate approves of this move.

Transfer Center Coordinator Barbara Pavão gave a very informative presentation on transfer rates at Solano. Here longitudinal data supports that a growing number of students are transferring from SCC to both UCs and CSUs. I think that because transfer is one of the three pillars of California Community Colleges' mission, it would be a good idea for Ms. Pavão to give a version of her report to the Board.

Finally, I wanted to share with the Board the response I got from Dean Rota from Fine and Applied Arts/Behavioral Sciences regarding the elimination of courses in the area of textiles and clothing the Board was concerned about in a previous meeting:

"Many years ago (maybe 15) the faculty in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising retired.  Their positions were not replaced and over the years we stopped offering most of the courses.  We have moved the Textiles course to Interior Design and some of the costume related courses were moved to theater.  We haven't offered the courses in these majors for more than 10 years and they should have been removed from the Curriculum during the last curriculum review.  I took on the task of cleaning up several areas where we have no faculty and no courses offered (this is reflected in the Curriculum Committee minutes)"

 

 

 

 

Academic Senate Report to the Senate

Meetings:

In Shared Governance, Dr. Laguerre was out of town so the Interim Director of Human Resources, Dr. Largent, chaired the meeting. We were given a draft job description for the Dean of Academic Success and Learning Resources. The position still lacks input from the Library, but in essence it is completed. A partial list of responsibilities include; library services, basic skills, distance education, and faculty development. What I have noticed today is that the original intent of the position was to spearhead the creation of a Center for Academic Success that oversaw the reading/writing/math labs and tutoring center. I'm checking now to see if this omission was by design or not. Dr. Largent also shared with us the tentative timeline for the VPASA and Executive Director of Institutional Advancement positions. Additionally, she shared that HR has spent about $7,500 in advertising these two positions. I gave a similar PERT update to the one Rob Simas gave to the Senate; recommendations and actions by that group. I also gave a quick accreditation update. The Policy 500 series was up, but Dr. Waits was not there to bring the item forward. I imagine that it would have reflected the Student Conduct policies that we reviewed earlier. What needs to go to the SGC is the Institutional Review Board and the Strategic and Operational proposals (1, 2, and 3) that the Senate has approved. They should appear on the next SGC agenda.

In the Financial and Budget Planning Advisory Council (FaBPAC), VP Roth led us through some highlights of the Governor's Budget Workshop. The District is working on scenarios for a 0%, 3% and 5% decrease in State funding in anticipation of mid-year cuts. The jury is still out on this because the Governor has even spoken of a 2% increase. According to VP Roth, the general consensus among those present at the workshop was that there would be somewhere between 0 -3% reductions considering the State of California is experiencing a 21 billion deficit. In the FaBPAC, there was a presentation on early retirement incentives called SERP. This item is going forward to the Board at its next meeting/study session. What we got was an overview of what early retirement incentives might mean at SCC. When you calculate out the total number of early retirements, not replacing them all with new hires or factoring in possible substitutes/interims/consultants/ or adjunct faculty… the district could stand to save 3 million dollars over 5 years.

I met with Dr. Laguerre and he has asked that I invite all senators to attend the first regular study session of the Board of Trustees this week Wednesday at 6:00. In a previous SGC meeting and then the Board took action on changing the general set-up of the Board meetings. Big changes include having Closed Session at the beginning of the meetings, reducing the number of regular Board meetings in favor of Study Sessions, and the addition of an information/action item spot on the Board agenda. The SGC expressed its concern about these changes noting that Closed Session at the beginning of the meeting is inconsiderate to the public because it is hard to know when they'll end, that study sessions are good they could potentially limit discussion as an item comes up for action and finally, that a combined information/action item might be a detriment to the reflection that having an item up for information then, a week later, up for action offers.

In the PERT meeting we reviewed all of the suggestions and recommendations that Rob Simas received regarding the District's Strategic Plan. The PERT considered all recommendations. Here is version 1 and 2. We kept our eyes out for items that were more tactical rather than strategic, items that were subsumed under already existing goals and objectives, and we tried to be as respectful as possible to the process and the voice of those who were asked to represent their area in the Strategic Planning Workshops. We did make several changes and Rob will be forwarding the final document back out to the College. If you've got a constituent who wonders why their idea or suggestion was not included, please have them communicate with Rob.

Accreditation:

With Robin Steinback out with a hurt knee we are without our "quarterback", as it were. I'm trying to play first string and bring all the pieces together. I am currently coordinating the list of faculty who have volunteered and looking for gaps. The immediate goal is to identify those who will be part of the Accreditation Committee; this means co-chairs, ALO, Senate President, and Editor. I also have been asked to identify a few faculty to participate in the ASCCC Accreditation Institute in March.

Academic Senate President’s Report to the Board

Meetings:

Superintendent/ President Laguerre and I met this week and had a chance to catch up on some housekeeping items such as bringing Strategic and Operational proposals forward to Shared Governance, sending faculty to the ASCCC Equity and Diversity Institute, reinstating the Senate budge, and the job description for the Dean of Library and Student Success. I think of substantial importance as well was Dr. Laguerre's commitment to include faculty in future discussion about the Vallejo expansion. He explained the current set-up and the need for a community based group (the Vallejo Expansion Committee) that would vet and then report out to an internal group that would include faculty voices. While this did not occur seamlessly this time and is a somewhat mute point since it seems this particular deal has gone sour, I look forward to working with Dr. Laguerre to appoint faculty to an internal group that as yet needs to be created. Having productive dialogue with effected constituents is vital. These are the standards of "institutional planning and institutional effectiveness" that we will live and die by (or rather get on or off sanctions for) with ACCJC. We also spoke about the College's continued commitment to build a new library. As I'm sure you recall, the Board passed a resolution on June 24^th (agenda item 8.a) in support of a Final Project Proposal (FPP) to build a new library and to renovate the theater basing its decision to go forward with the FPP relying on Measure G funds that we had thought the College would use as 50% matching funds. Since that time it has since come to light that those Measure G monies were already encumbered. I was glad to hear of Dr. Laguerre's strong commitment to "making it happen" and to not lose our place in the "line" at the state for this project.

Dr. Steinback and I have met to continue our planning for the next accreditation report. I know that she is on the agenda so I won't steal her thunder.

I was also a member of a TRIO grant writing committee with Joe Conrad, Erin Vines, Arturo López, Philip Andrieni, Jerry Kea, Rob Simas, Shirley Lewis, and Nora O'neil. The grant is designed to serve first generation, low income students. We are hopeful that our efforts will provide the funding necessary to serve these students at Solano.

Dr. Jensen was back on campus to give a workshop on enrollment management. As the College faces even harder economic times, understanding the relationship between enrollment management, the budget, and our ability to best serve our students is critical.

As Senate President I was asked to help lead the college with Rob Simas and Dr. Robert Jensen in discussion about our Strategic Plan (the mission, vision, core values, and strategic goals and objectives.) You'll be pleased to know that we were able to pull together both the internal and external groups and have quite a bit of information to synthesize. Without going into too much detail I would say that the discussions were very honest and direct. In particular with the internal group, those present were able to clearly identify the College's current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and then articulated some very self-reflective observations that lead to the re-vamping of our Strategic Goals. The external group, too, provided some very useful insights and perspective, at times in harmony and at times in conflict with the internal group, to the discussion. Our commitment to all of those present is to synthesis their comments and to report back out the "new and improved" Solano Community College Strategic Plan. (Many thanks to Ross Beck, Director, Public Relations, Marketing and Communications and Tracy Schneider, English professor and Learning Outcomes Assessment Coordinator). I would say, however; that at the end of the day, the work we did over the last week or so is the easy part. Solano is very good at making plans (ACCJC even commented on this) but what we are not so good at is implementation and evaluation. While the College should be glad that Dr. Laguerre made a commitment to follow-through in these areas, I think that the responsibility lies with the campus community. We should be holding ourselves accountable to do what we say we are going to do and then to continually evaluate our efforts.

Senate Business

The Senate held a special meeting with our educational administrators on November 30^th and then did not meet during our regularly scheduled December 7^th meeting.

Academic Senate President’s Report to the Board

Meetings:

I had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Laguerre recently and we spoke of the importance of institutional trust, accountability, and adherence to process at Solano. He was able to clarify for me some of the apparent inconsistencies in job "morphing" as we adjust to budget constraints and move toward reorganization and we did have an opportunity to speak more at length about the proposed Vallejo expansion.

Dr. Steinback: You'll be happy to know that while accreditation is no less important to Dr. Steinback and me, we have been spending our time talking about other important issues to the campus. The Solano is doing some internal recruiting for Coordinator positions for Basic Skills, Ethnic Studies and Humanities, preparing for the Strategic Planning Workshop, and continuing with our discussions about faculty hiring priorities. Of course, we are continuing to work toward our next Self-Study and are working on training opportunities during our Spring Flex Cal.

Enrollment Management: Dr. Jensen was on campus today and gave an informative talk on the nature and importance of enrollment management. He sends his regards.

In the Senate:

We had an extra-ordinary Joint meeting with Education Administrators for an hour to continue our discussions on Full-time faculty hiring priorities for 2010-2011. Working on a compressed timeline, Deans have sought input from faculty and are now collecting data to put forward requests to hire two faculty hires. The deadline for their faculty hiring reports is December 17^th. The Senate and the Deans will continue their discussion on faculty hires in our next regular joint meeting in January.

Also, fulfilling our obligations to the Integrated Planning Process as a Review Group to Strategic and Operational Proposals that speak to Quality Teaching and Learning, the Senate and the Deans continued our discussions on proposals.

We also continued our discussions in the Senate after the Ed. Administrators left to get a Distance Education Report from the DE Coordinator, Sandy Rotenberg. I've linked to her presentation but would like that because the report is so informative that it be presented to the Board in a future meeting.

The Senate received an update on our Enrollment Management and Election Procedures Taskforces. With Enrollment Management the Senate can expect to have a discussion with Dr. Steinback, gather up best practices for retention and persistence from a faculty perspective and then a resolution or paper on the topic by the end of the spring semester. As for Election Procedures, while I had thought the taskforce was deliberating on the possibility of online elections… they've decided to consider more "old school" ideas like staffing an election booth for Senate elections. The Election Procedures taskforce will have a final report soon.

President’s Report to the Senate

As per the Senate's request, I had a meeting with Dr. Laguerre
on November 23, 2009

The major themes that I wanted to address were institutional trust, accountability, and adherence to process

I shared with Dr. Laguerre that Solano has had difficulty in the past because decisions had been made without a clear understanding of the particulars: rationale, data, evaluation, etc… around those decisions. I brought to his attention a series of recent personnel actions that raise concern at a time when Solano needs reliability and dependability. We have had Dean positions become Directors that go through Shared Governance but then when a Director position is changed to a Dean, it does not go through the process. We've had Executive Coordinators become Special Project Grant Writers when there is a Strategic Proposal for a Grant Writer/ Researcher position that has had to go through the Integrated Planning Process. In the wake of VP Field's departure the Interim CISO position goes before the Board and is filled while the other half of the VP of Technology and Learning Resources' job description, the Interim Dean of Library and Learning Resources, won't be filled until July. I explained that there is confusion among the Senate about where, when and how the proposed Dean of Enrollment Management will be filled. We need consistency and transparency.

I also shared with Dr. Laguerre the Senate's concerns about the Vallejo expansion. I passed along your concerns about following process, a lack of information (are there other alternatives to the current location?), input and buy-in by faculty. I mentioned the Senate's concern for how this expansion would affect Measure G prioritization. He did share with me that while the College had thought that we would be able to use matching funds from Measure G to build a new library, that money is, or more specifically, never was available. Our MG funds are currently around 15 million. When I expressed concern for the 1300 building, he assured me that that project will go forward. When I asked how buying a piece of property two city blocks from our current location, that is designed primarily for an automotive program we don't have at Solano, become a priority? He assured me that we were only looking into, not purchasing, the property and that there would be plenty of time for input down the road. I re-iterated our concerns for how this site and its potential programs would impact our current hiring practices. Finally, in regards to the Vallejo expansion, he assured me that nothing has been decided, that the Board is exploring options to potentially solve our "landlocked" status in Vallejo.

I was reminded of the words of Julia "Butterfly" Hill who said the distance between word and action is integrity. Solano must support its emerging process if we are to succeed.

The last item I shared with Dr. Laguerre was that after his presentation I believed that it would be good to have a timeline for implementation and a visual aide to clarify when changes will ocurr and who will be affected by them.

Our Distance Education Coordinator, Sandy Rotenberg, presented the following report during the last Senate meeting that I thought you might want to access here, too.

Academic Senate Report to the Board

Meetings:

Reorganization Forum: I was able to attend one of the forums in which Dr. Laguerre shared with the campus community his vision for the Executive level reorganization. Those present were interested and inquisitive, asking several questions. While there are still some areas that are tentative, the proposal has taken shape and the campus is adjusting to the idea of future changes.

Plenary: I attended the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges Fall 2009 Plenary session in which local senate representatives participate in break-out sessions and learn from each other. Additionally, the body deliberates and votes on many resolutions that guide the ASCCC throughout the year. I was able to represent the college by leading a discussion as a member of the ASCCC Faculty Development Committee.

Senate Joint Meeting with Educational Administrators:

Reorganization:

Dr. Laguerre shared with the reorganization presentation with the Academic Senate. There were several clarifying questions and a few good ideas that were shared. The Senate seemed keenly interested in the details in the organizational structure, in particular the scope and responsibility of the proposed Dean of Enrollment Management and that of Library and Academic Success. Dr. Laguerre laid out the timeline for our most recent hires for the Director of Human Resources and the Vice President of Finance and Administration as well as that of the other new hires within the proposed reorganization.

Full-time hiring priorities:

    The process: At Solano College we have a faculty hiring process that ensure faculty voice while at the same time recognizes the contributions of our Deans and the "whole-college" view of our executive administration. Normally, in spring data is collected and deans solicit division faculty input. Then over summer the deans prepare a report based on data and faculty input. In the fall, reports are finalized and prioritized by deans and the VP of Academic Affairs. Finally, the Senate discusses with the Deans in our joint meeting this prioritized list that is then put forward to the Superintendent/ President.

    The current situation: Last year, the college hired two nursing faculty and had one position pending. We experienced three retirements in 2008-2009 and now three more in 2009-2010. We are "down" a significant number of faculty. We recognize that these are difficult economic times, but I feel compelled to highlight that further reductions can have an impact ability to serve our students. It is vital that faculty hires come from our divisions. We should not let external forces entirely dictate faculty hires.

My comments become more important in light of the proposed Vallejo expansion that was mentioned, not necessarily formally presented, to the Senate for the first time. I am obligated to report to you that the idea of purchasing the former car dealership nearby generated much discussion. Senators had a myriad of questions ranging from how this purchase fits into the college's master plan and student needs to what has been done to research other facilities. If indeed we will use Measure G funds for this purchase, will we end saying to a particular constituent group… "we know that we had planned to redo your building, but now… there was this great deal…"

Solano College has recently been put on sanctions for a lack of productive dialogue, poor institutional planning, poor institutional effectiveness, and fiscal instability. Are we "living the standards"? We need to be on a track of consistency, transparency, reliability and integrity.

I know that Dr. Laguerre will bring about these conversations. I also know that faculty will be there ready to participate.

IPP and Strategic Planning update:

Speaking of planning, Rob Simas gave an update on the Integrated Planning Process and in particular the Process Evaluation and Review Team (PERT). This group is meeting and moving forward to ensure that Solano College has the necessary analysis to fully implement our planning processes. Mr. Simas also shared with us the information I'm sure you have on our upcoming discussions to discuss our Strategic Plan.

    

 

Senate President’s Report to the Board

Meetings and Events:

Scholarship Foundation Awards Ceremony: I had the good fortune to be able to present awards again this year. It is a great pleasure to see our students and their friends and family come together to celebrate their success. The Scholarship Foundation Committee always does a great job and this year was no exception. In particular I wanted to highlight Dorothy Hawke's leadership. She has promised that even though she will be retiring this year that she will continue to work on this committee. (I wish she would also make time to continue to come to our FaBPAC meetings, but that might be asking too much!)

Flexible Calendar Committee: We are planning our Spring professional development activities around global citizenship. There will be an interesting keynote address by Peter Menzel around his book of photography, The Material World. Ron Zack, our photography instructor, was instrumental in bringing this renowned artist to the campus. Connecting to this theme as well is our citizenry in the College and our participation in the accreditation process. We will offer several workshops to prepare us for our next accreditation Self-Study. Many thanks to the Flex Cal Committee, and in particular Chuck Spillner, for their hard work. Chuck was highly motivated to complete this task because he goes in for hip surgery soon. Keep him in your thoughts in hopes of a smooth procedure and a speedy recovery.

Accreditation Visit: I had the opportunity to speak with both of the Commission representative, Drs. Nixon and Stephens. I think that everyone is in agreement that Solano is on the right track. Dr. Nixon was interested primarily in our campus dialogue and you…the Board. I assured him that while we have room for improvement that Solano is moving in the right direction. Dr. Stephens was primarily interested in the Integrated Planning Process (IPP). Solano should be very encouraged by its work in this area. Dr. Stephens mentioned that we had done such a good job that we should consider "franchising" our processes.

In the Senate meeting:

The Senate received its now customary report from Dr. Laguerre and then moved on to discuss the Student Services Board Policy on "Standards of Student Conduct" and the Academic Integrity Policy. Dr. Waits was present to walk us through the changes in the Board Policy revisions that brought this policy in line with current Community College League (CCL) language. Senate feedback, I think, strengthened the revised document by localizing it to SCC.

Within our new Integrated Planning Process (IPP) the Senate and the Academic Deans serve the Review Groups for Strategic and/ or Operational proposals that are related to our Strategic Goal #1, Quality Teaching and Learning. Because we are in the first year of the IPP this is the first time that we've had these kinds of discussions in the Senate. We reviewed four strategic and two operational proposals. I think it is a testament to the clarity of the process that Senators had a good idea of what was expected of them and how to address these proposals. From here they move on to Shared Governance, then FaBPAC, then the Superintendent/ President's Cabinet and ultimately to you (the Board).

Other thoughts:

The Senators from the Academic Senate wanted to extend their most heartfelt condolences to Board President A. Marie Young. We are saddened by the loss of her husband and hope that she finds comfort in the lifetime of memories his life has brought her.

President’s Report to the Senate

Meetings:

Financial and Budget Planning Advisory Council: Items of note include the Green Initiatives Grant for $418,000, two workforce development grants worth $50.000, and the Budget was approved by the Board on October 7, 2009. Additionally, due in large part to Susan Rinne's determination, we have received $1.8 million FTES as a result of miscalculation recovery. Terri Pearson-Bloom sent out a very articulate e-mail on the subject that I've linked here.

 

We also received an update on the current categorical programs funding situation. There was a handout distributed showing the difference in categorical program budgets from 2008-09 to 2009-10 and it showed a total funding loss of $2.3 million. Another spreadsheet showed the categorical program budgets, the carry-over (if any), and total cuts needed for 2009-10 in Student Services.
The state created guidelines this year on what funds are flexible versus non-flexible. Because the state is allowing some transfers between funds that historically had strict compliance requirements, a public hearing is required at a Board meeting in order to approve transfers. In particular, this concerns the transfer of $227,809 from Matriculation into DSP.
VP Waits requested FABPAC's support of the proposed transfer and advising the college still needs to identify at least $178,663 to keep all categoricals whole for 2009-10. There was group consensus to support that FABPAC was informed, supports the proposed plan, and the transfer is appropriate. The topic will be on the October 21 Board Agenda. VP Waits thanked everyone for the endorsement.

 

Lastly, VP Steinback estimates we'll reduce 123 3-unit classes next spring. The Chancellor's Office is stressing to all colleges to focus on Basic Skills, workforce development, general education, and transfer –also support student services.

 

Dr. Laguerre presented information on the executive level reorganization. He used the same powerpoint that he had used in many division meetings.

Shared Governance Council: Items of note included: The topic of sections reductions for spring came up. SCFA President Tom Grube presented the union's concerns about how course reductions will affect adjunct faculty. My response was that while the Senate values our adjunct faculty, the Senate's role is to ensure that faculty voices are heard in the discussion revolving around the cuts. We are to make certain that the College participates in productive dialogue and makes cuts based on informed input. Because the Chancellor's office has presented its guidelines for cuts, I requested that the District present SGC with a report on which sections will be cut from which disciplines and how spring semester 2010 differs from a typical spring. I stressed that there should be a clear philosophy for making cuts that includes faculty input. Does the Senate want to offer a response to this? Should we create a "philosophy statement" on course reductions?

Bob Myers was present to discuss a Strategic Proposal on Women's Intercollegiate Sports. Unfortunately, SGC had not received the proposal due to a clerical error. We will discuss it in our next meeting.

There will be discussion in the next month or so on the College's Strategic Plan. On October 29th the PERT will meet with Dr. Jensen and then on November 12 and 13th there will be a campus forum and finally on December 4, there will be a community forum on the Strategic Plan.

Dr. Laguerre also commented that there have been some organization changes as a result of Jay Field's departure. A Chief Information Officer position will be created and Jim Ennis will most likely fill that slot. Also, there is a good chance that an academic Dean position, a Dean of Library and Learning Resources, will be created to run the Library, Distance Education, the Teaching and Learning Center, and perhaps tutoring. For the moment this will be filled with an interim but the end goal is to flesh-out the position even more to potentially fill the need that the BSI committee put forward for a center for academic success. This model would include reading/writing/ and math labs as well as the student athlete support under one roof.

We also briefly discussed the budget and got an update on the CBO, HR, and Curriculum Analyst position. They are all moving along well.

Legislative Education Project visit: The LEP staffers were here on October 13, 2009 and spoke to several groups on campus. They were interested in our thoughts on how the decisions that they've made in Sacramento are affecting us. They asked about BSI, accreditation, and categorical programs.

The Board: You can view the Board minutes here.

Other Items:

Accreditation: The visiting team from ACCJC will be here on October 29, 2009. The team will be smaller and stay less time on campus. I have continued to speak to divisions about accreditation and have thanked them for their contributions, advised them of a survey that is soon to be administered, answered questions about our current status, solicited input on how we are progressing, and invited them to participate in the next accreditation reports.

Appointments to Committee: I have asked for participation in a variety of committees. The response has been very good. We should be proud of the strong spirit of collaboration on campus.

IRB: I will be bringing forward to Shared Governance Council the Institutional Review Board recommendations that we approved last semester.

 

Academic Senate President’s Report to the Board

Farewells:

Vice President of Technology and Learning Resources Jay Field. I wanted to personally thank you for your time and dedication to Solano College. Long Beach City College is fortnuate to have you and Solano will seem a little less without you.

Meetings:

Process Evaluation and Review Team (PERT): This group met for the first time officially and we reviewed the charge, scope and composition of the PERT. Additionally, we prioritized our first set of objectives for the year. We will meet regularly for the next few Fridays and then less frequently after that. I appointed Ruth Fuller and Tracy Schneider to this committee as senate faculty representatives. The Senate President is an ex-oficio member.

Accreditation:

The Report: Dr. Steinback advised us that the final draft of the report is available on the Intranet. I advised the Senate that there have been some minor revisions, so it is important for the Senate to read and ensure the final product is not substantively different from the one we approved last week.

Training: Last week Friday a team of Solano College faculty and administrators went to an ACCJC standards and self-study training. Because we have become, unfortunately, such experts on accreditation, there wasn't a great deal of new material. However, it was a good opportunity to meet some of the commission employees, ask direct questions about standards, and to come together as a team from SCC. Additionally, it was important to hear yet again that the Standards are not some arbitrary guideline established by the ACCJC in isolation but rather produced by us and our peers. I did receive an e-mail questioning why SCC was obligated to participate in the training. The answer is that we could have refused to participate. However, eligibility requirement 21 requires the college to maintain a healthy and professional relationship with ACCJC. Not going would have damaged that relationship.

Division Deans: I am in the process of meeting with Division Deans. My goal is to get feedback from them on the accreditation process at SCC, to see how they might contribute, and to on their division agendas to speak directly to faculty to answer any questions they might have and the solicit help for the next reports… especially the self-study in October.

In the Senate:

Basic Skills and Program Review. Dr. Steinback brought the Senate up-to-speed on the BSI coordinator positions that have gone through the appropriate channels and will soon be advertised to all faculty. Additionally, she presented a revised program review schedule that compensates for previous deficiencies and re-aligns this process with that of our accreditation self-study schedule.

Learning Communities. Brad Paschal reported that our Learning Communities Committee is focusing it's efforts this semester on PR, spreading the word about our LC courses and working to increase enrollment and faculty participation.

Working toward our goals: The Senate has established taskforces to achieve our goals for the year.

1. Election Procedures: Karen Wanek and Matt Borchert will be producing a report on how elections are going this year and then will pass that information on to Lou McDermott who will incorporate this information into his work exploring options for Senate election procedures.
   
2. Constitution/Proportional Representation – No report
   
3. Enrollment Management—LaNae Jaimez discussed the basics of this taskforce's plans to: raise awareness about the numbers associated with enrollment management, collaborate with other groups on campus to collect best practices for student retention and persistence, and report all findings at the end of the year.
   
4. Accreditation Committee: No Report
   

A question for the Senate?

We discussed a letter that Humanities Senator Lisa Giambastiani had presented from one of her constituents. In essence the letter poses the question, "Should faculty be obligated to sign the evaluations of their supervisors?" The Senate is currently discussing if this falls under our 10 + 1 obligations.

Other items:

The Senate office has been moved to 422.

President’s Report to the Senate

Meetings:

Shared Governance Council (SGC): The Senate and SGC met to vote on the accreditation document. The Special Report was approved unanimously.

Process Evaluation and Review Team (PERT): This group met for the first time officially and we reviewed the charge, scope and composition of the PERT. Additionally, we prioritized our first set of objectives for the year. We will meet regularly for the next few Fridays and then less frequently after that. I appointed Ruth Fuller and Tracy Schneider to this committee as our faculty representatives. The Senate President is an ex-oficio member.

Superintendent/ President Laguerre: During the "Presidents Meeting", Dr. Laguerre mentioned that the hiring committees for HR Director and the VP of Business and Administrative Services are moving forward. He announced that Vice President of Technology and Learning Resources Jay Field has taken another position at Long Beach City College. There was some discussion as to how to adjust for his absence. Of immediate concern is who will lead the IT Department and the Library. There were several ideas discussed, including the formation of a collection of learning resource areas into something similar to the Center for Academic Success that Butte College has. As details come forward, I will pass that along to you.

Accreditation:

The Report: Dr. Steinback advised us that the final draft of the report is available on the Intranet. Because there have been some minor revisions, it is important for the Senate to read and ensure the final product is not substantively different from the one we approved last week.

Training: Last week Friday a team of Solano College faculty and administrators went to an ACCJC standards and self-study training. Because we have become, unfortunately, such experts on accreditation, there wasn't a great deal of new material. However, it was a good opportunity to meet some of the commission employees, ask direct questions about standards, and to come together as a team from SCC. Additionally, it was important to hear yet again that the Standards are not some arbitrary guideline established by the ACCJC in isolation but rather produced by us and our peers. I did receive an e-mail questioning why SCC was obligated to participate in the training. The answer is that we could have refused to participate. However, eligibility requirement 21 requires the college to maintain a healthy and professional relationship with ACCJC. Not going would have damaged that relationship.

Division Deans: I am in the process of meeting with Division Deans. My goal is to get feedback from them on the accreditation process at SCC, to see how they might contribute, and to on their division agendas to speak directly to faculty to answer any questions they might have and the solicit help for the next reports… especially the self-study in October.

Other items:

The Senate office has been moved to 422.

Academic Senate Report to the Board

First things first…

Welcome to our new Senators LaNae Jaimez, Karen Wanek, Matt Borchert and Richard Kleeberg. Many thanks to those who formerly occupied those seats: Ferdinanda Florence, Deborah Kalish, John Nagle, Michael Goodwin and Thom Watkins. They will be missed and I thank them for having made the Senate better.

Also, we have a new Administrative Assistant, Ms. Connie Adams, who has begun to learn the ropes of managing the Senate. I am grateful that she is here and hope she enjoys working at Solano College.

Meetings:

I met with Dr. Laguerre, as the Senate had instructioned me, to discuss the eminent executive level reorganization. I did my best to summarize the questions, concerns, and positive feedback that I have received about his proposed change. I expressed to him that the College needs to see how this is "productive dialogue" and that it would behoove him to make manifest the ways in which constituent input is, or is not, influencing the nature of the final product. In addition to discussing the substance of the reorganization, I urged him to follow the form for change that the College has recently embraced in the Integrated Planning Process; the Strategic Proposal Form, as the vehicle through which he discuss this change.

 

In the Senate:

Reports:

Dr. Laguerre is becoming a regular fixture in Senate meetings. We are glad that he can make the time to speak to us.

Our Election Committee is moving forward with our election timeline and we hope to have a new At-large and Adjunct Senator seated by October 19, 2009. Additionally, we need to hold elections for a Vice President.

Information/Discussion Items

Dr. Lisa Waits, VP S.S. gave a report from her area; including a student discipline report, Academic Council procedures, revisions to policies and procedures 5300—Student Conduct and Discipline, and some recommended friendly updates to the Senate's Academic Integrity policy. This is all very valuable information for our faculty to have and speaks well to the Senate's 10+1 item relating to student success.

We have established task forces to address our Senate goals for the year. [Online Elections, Constitution/Proportional Representation, Enrollment Management, Accreditation Committee of the Senate]. In a move to model the Integrated Planning Process, the Senate will be using a modified Operational Proposal form as a means of planning and evaluating our endeavors.

When presented with a scenario in which an academic dean added a student to a faculty's class without consulting the faculty member, the Senate reaffirmed our commitment to faculty primacy in the classroom.

A response to a Board query:

I spoke with our Distance Education Coordinator, Sandy Rotenberg, and our Distance Education Committee Chair, Rennee Moore, and they have brought me up to speed on the concern about our proposed change in the catalog language would effect students:

1. First, the debate begins most recently with changes in Title 5 language that made manifest the fact that the quality and content of online and face to face instruction should be the same.
   

• (b) Each distance education/telecourse shall include regular effective (formerly personal) contact between instructor and students through group or individual meetings, orientation and review sessions, supplemental seminar or study sessions, field trips, library workshops, telephone, correspondence or other in-person activities. Personal contact may be supplemented by telephone contact and correspondence.
  
• Separate Course Approval. If any portion of the instruction in a proposed or existing course or course section is designed to be provided through distance education in lieu of face-to-face interaction between instructor and student, the course shall be separately reviewed and approved according to the district's adopted course approval procedures
  

1. Additionally, the Academic Senate for California Community College's paper "Ensuring the Appropriate Use of Educational Technology: An Update for Local Senates" adopted in the spring of 2008, mentions that the of Department Education has "red flagged" evaluation and assessment as one of six areas of concern regarding distance education.
   

• This means that exams and accountability are on the DOE's radar.
  

1. However; transcripts do not currently denote a class as having been taught online or face-to-face.
   
2. Finally, as Rennee Moore so aptly stated, "I'd like to add that administering an in-person final is optional. The faculty member may chose to continue giving the final exam online. As with face-to-face courses, faculty may choose to use different forms of final assessments (projects, papers, or traditional exam). In addition, faculty regularily make arrangements for students that have extraordinary circumstance that prevent them from attending the final exam. I don't expect that to change."
   

   
    

Other news…

The Senate office is being moved to the 400 building. By our next meeting, I think, we should be relocated.

 

 

President’s Report to the Academic Senate

First things first…

Welcome to our new Senators LaNae Jaimez, Karen Wanek, Matt Borchert and Richard Kleeberg. Many thanks to those who formerly occupied those seats: Ferdinanda Florence, Deborah Kalish, John Nagle, Michael Goodwin and Thom Watkins. You will be missed and I thank you for having made the Senate better.

Also, we have a new Administrative Assistant, Ms. Connie Adams, who has begun to learn the ropes of managing the Senate. I am grateful that she is here and hope she enjoys working at Solano College.

Meetings:

Shared Governance Council (SGC): September 9th, 2009

    The job descriptions for the Director of Fiscal Services and the Bond Accountant came back before SGC with suggested modifications. Board Policies 1070 Board Self-Evaluation and procedures to BP 2035 on evaluating the S/P came back for comment to the council. Members suggested that the Board broaden its self-evaluation and that of the S/P to include more input from all constituent groups and the frequency of the evaluations.

Financial and Budget Planning Advisory Council (FaBPAC):

This meeting was cancelled to allow for the joint SGC/ Academic Senate Accreditation meeting.

A conversation with S/P Laguerre:

I met with Dr. Laguerre, as per you instructions, to discuss the eminent executive level reorganization. I did my best to summarize the questions, concerns, and positive feedback that I have received about his proposed change. I expressed to him that the College needs to see how this is "productive dialogue" and that it would behoove him to make manifest the ways in which constituent input is, or is not, influencing the nature of the final product. In addition to discussing the substance of the reorganization, I urged him to follow the form for change that the College has recently embraced in the Integrated Planning Process; the Strategic Proposal Form, as the vehicle through which he discuss this change. What should be the next steps that the Senate takes?

Accreditation update:

The second draft of the accreditation document is now up on the intranet. There are still a few holes… a few paragraphs and some evidence, but for the most part, it is complete. Senators and all groups on campus are urged to read it.

Other news…

The Senate office is being moved to the 400 building. By our next meeting, I think, we should be relocated.

Academic Senate President’s Report to the Board

Updates:

Accreditation: We have found an accreditation editor, Tracy Schneider, who we are confident will do a great job and are very pleased that she has agreed to take on this responsibility. As of today, all but one of the Working Groups have turned in their narrative to her. Working groups are still in or have already finished the evidence gathering phase. The goal is for the first completed draft to be ready by September 10, 2009. The campus community can view the completed working group drafts at the accreditation wiki (http://techlr.pbworks.com)

Administrative Assistant for the Senate: I'm pleased to announce that the Senate has found a replacement substitute administrative assistant, Ms. Connie Adams, who appears on your agenda tonight. She brings much experience and energy to the job.

Faculty Development Committee. I've been asked to serve on the ASCCC faculty development committee. We have our first meeting tomorrow in Sacramento.

 

In the Senate:

Reports:

Dr. Laguerre was not able to speak so he sent the new Interim Director of Human Resources, Dr. Trudy Largent, in his place. She updated the senate on the Interim CBO search and the permanent CBO search.

Information/ Discussion Items

Study Abroad Committee: Ferdinanda Florence, the chair of that committee, presented the proposed Study Abroad/Travel Abroad website (http://www.solano.edu/fine_arts/sats/faculty.html) The site will not only guide students who want to participate in a study abroad program but serve as a resource for faculty who want to propose a new study abroad local.

Distance Education: The chair of that committee, Renee Moore, presented catalog language that would precede online offerings that advises students that some of our online classes at SCC may require a face to face final that would be given at the college.

Executive Level reorganization 2010-2011: The Senate is discussing the pros and cons of this move.

Senate Goals:

    Accreditation Reports and Standing Subcommittee

    Enrollment Management

    Constitution/representation

    Online Elections