MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Governing Board Address 8/23/22

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Good evening President Sullivan, Governing Board members, Chancellor Gonzales, CEC members, Colleagues, and Guests.

A specific warm welcome from the Faculty to our new Presidents–Dr. Tammy Robinson from Mesa and Dr. Tiffany Hunter from Paradise Valley–and also to our “kinda new” presidents, Dr. Kimberly Britt from Phoenix  and Dr. Eric Leshinskie from Scottsdale.  We look forward to working with all of you!

I want to provide just a few brief updates about faculty work since June:

  • First, this summer was BUSY, and that’s good news: 
    • Faculty leadership is grateful for a hectic summer that was due in no small part to flourishing shared governance.  We appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with our colleagues at the colleges and District, from serving on hiring committees and implementation task forces to leading and supporting the work on Strategic Planning, Bachelor’s Degrees, and the 4DX Initiative.   It is an exciting time to be a partner in MCCCD.
    • Residential Faculty were also busy this summer teaching, providing library and counseling services, and working on curriculum to support students. For example, Business faculty in Maricopa worked with the Arizona Department of Real Estate to secure approval of the courses in the new Commercial Real Estate CCL as Continuing Education Credits.  This allows realtors in our communities to turn to Maricopa for some of the 24 CEU credits required each year to maintain their credentials. Counseling Faculty expeditiously worked to ensure an efficient and inclusive rollout of FYE courses to begin this semester.  We are all grateful for their continued work to support students and the faculty teaching the courses.
  • Now that summer has ended (despite what the weather suggests), Residential faculty are back in full force for Fall 2022.  There is nothing quite like the promise, energy, and excitement that a new academic year brings, and we can feel that on every campus this week as faculty meet students where they are: 
    • Faculty are teaching classes in all modalities: online, hybrid, and in person. Faculty have been flexible in order to meet enrollment demands, adjusting courses and schedules to meet student preferences.
    • Faculty are offering classes in weekend, 6 week, 8 week, 10 week, 14 week and 16 week formats, ensuring we serve students who benefit from both traditional and accelerated learning formats and opportunities.
    • Finally, faculty are teaching the new First Year Experience courses and participating in Fields of Interest and Guided Pathways activities, supporting students as they explore career options, determine their goals, and pursue the pathways that prepare them for their desired transfer program or employment.

It feels good to be back on our campuses again serving our students and communities, and it feels good to be back in person for Governing Board meetings. May we all have a wonderful and productive academic year. 

Thank you and good evening!

Camille

MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Welcome Back

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Colleagues,

Welcome Back!! I hope you had a wonderful summer and are ready and excited to begin Fall 2022.

This summer has given me, as Faculty Association President, optimism for the coming year.  In July, I reached out to the Provost’s office when we discovered that the Faculty Agreement presented to the Governing Board for approval was not the version ratified by the Faculty Executive Council (FEC). The Provost’s office immediately scheduled a meeting with faculty and administration leadership, and within a week we had a plan to make things right and respect the ratification process, restoring the FA ratified by faculty.  The plan was based on consensus of those assembled and in the confidence that our Governing Board would support this necessary work.

This approach would have been unthinkable a little over four years ago when the Governing Board (under Laurin Hendrix) abolished Meet and Confer, tore up the RFP, and gutted shared governance in Maricopa.

It’s tempting to call MCCCD’s return to shared governance and respect for faculty “miraculous,” but there were no miracles involved in creating the situation we have today.  The current shared governance in MCCCD is the result of commitment, vision, and hard work on the part of our Faculty Association and FEC, and the support and engagement of the faculty in Maricopa.  When the worst we’d experienced happened, we didn’t buckle.  We rallied and worked together to confront the attacks and the attackers, to gather the backing of local and national organizations, and to support Governing Board candidates and MCCCD administrators who value education, teaching and learning, and shared governance. It took effort – late nights, long meetings, tireless canvassing, and lots of resources – but we prevailed.

Today we enjoy the fruits of that effort.  Some examples of our work in shared governance  include:

  • Faculty once again are participants on the Chancellor’s Executive Council, and FEC is a Senior Council providing leadership in the system.
  • Faculty are rightfully co- and tri-chairing important hiring committees, including those for college presidents, the Office of General Counsel, and the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost.
  • A faculty member is a tri-chair on the Advisory Budget Committee, ensuring transparency and collaborative leadership with respect to the budget in Maricopa.
  • The Committee on Academic Freedom, the Center for Excellence and Integrated Democracy, and the new FACT team have been structured based upon faculty input and leadership.
  • The Governing Board has for each of the last two years approved the recommended salary increases outlined in the Employee Compensation Philosophy, and faculty continue to be participants in the work toward sustainable and predictable salary progression in Maricopa.

So what is the next step if we are no longer fighting for shared governance?  What we have is certainly not finished or perfect, but what is our best path forward now that we are working to develop, nurture, and maintain shared governance?

The short answer is that we are stronger when we all stand together. The strength of the Faculty Association comes from its members.  When more of us stand together by joining the Faculty Association, it gives greater weight to our participation in shared governance.  Higher membership also gives us the resources we need to advocate effectively in MCCCD and the legislature, ensuring continued benefits for faculty and our organization.

The majority of Maricopa’s faculty are already members of the Faculty Association. Thank you sincerely for your support!  If you have not had the opportunity to join, please consider standing with your colleagues.  To join the Faculty Association, please go to our Membership Page and select your preferred dues payment schedule and method.  See Membership Benefits to learn more about the value of joining the Faculty Association.

Thank you all for the work that you do for students and our communities.  I wish you all a fulfilling and enjoyable academic year.

In solidarity,

Camille

Maricopa Community Colleges Faculty Political Action Committee FacPACMCCFA FacPAC

Two Down, One to Go!

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TWO EARLY VICTORIES!

On Monday, 25 July, the candidate who was hand-picked by Jean McGrath to replace her withdrew from the Governing Board race because he could not defeat our challenge of his petition signatures.  Donna Davis is now the de facto winner in District 4!

In District 3, you were able to help us collect enough signatures to ensure that Marie Sullivan was safely on the ballot, and no other candidate was willing to challenge her.  Thus, we have won two of three races for Governing Board before balloting even began! 

All this means we can reasonably expect a 6-1 education, student, and faculty-friendly Governing Board!  This is a far cry from only four years ago when the Governing Board, led by Laurin Hendrix, canceled Meet and Confer and tore up the RFP.

These early victories were secured by the herculean efforts of our staff and faculty volunteers (and their families) who answered the call.  They endured late nights and hot mornings gathering signatures.  And a specially trained group spent long hours reviewing signature petitions to ensure our candidates could not be challenged off the ballot in November.   

While our early victories are sweet, we cannot be complacent.  Let’s send a strong message to those who would dismantle our community college system by electing a 7- 0 Governing Board. 

Thank you in advance for your support, your participation in putting up signs for Kelli across Maricopa County, and for stepping up when volunteers are needed.  We do this together for our students, our faculty and staff colleagues, and for MCCCD.

Barry F. Vaughan
FacPAC Chair