MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Governing Board Address 6/27/23

/in

Madame la Presidente, membres du conseil d’administration, Chancellor, CEC colleagues, and guests. “Jambo”

Madame la Presidente, I know you are fond of songs as themes for presentations, so I chose “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts as I remember it fondly from my childhood.  A more appropriate choice, however, might have been Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out for Summer.”   

This song in particular brings images to mind of classroom doors flung open, masses of excited students pouring out, and trailing behind, an exhausted faculty body. Faculty who many believe will take the next few weeks off, retiring perhaps to a villa in the South of France to wander among the lavender fields.  While this may be true for some, and I express no hate (but perhaps a tad bit of envy), I’d like to tell you about the work of the many Maricopa faculty who will spend their summertime engaged with teaching and learning. 

Maricopa Community Colleges is offering  4770 summer classes across the 10 colleges.  Would it surprise you to know that 58% of those classes are taught by our residential faculty?  Faculty who have chosen to remain connected to the classroom during the summer months.

Others are remaining connected to the classroom but taking those classrooms to international locations.  This summer, we have six international programs in both Europe and Mexico.  For example, 35 students are currently in Ireland with Dr. Barry Vaughn of Mesa Community College where they will spend a month embedded in the local culture.  Not only do they immerse themselves in the study of Irish religion from Neolithic to Medieval times, they learn the art of Irish storytelling and regale the locals with their final projects at the neighborhood pub.  Many students have been so impacted by their experiences here that they choose to return for further studies. Now spending a month in Europe may sound like a vacation, but I can assure you that it is very hard work wrangling a group of college students. I speak from experience as one of those former students, who many years ago, along with some co-conspirators, almost got our group kicked out of a hotel in Rome for using bed linens as togas.  Who knew that wasn’t appropriate?!? But the opportunity for students to experience different cultures, values, and perspectives firsthand challenges their preconceived notions and broadens their worldview.  It fosters empathy, tolerance, and an appreciation for diversity, making them a more open-minded individual.

And that, mes amis, is incredibly valuable in this increasingly divisive world we live in.  

Other faculty are engaging in the field of pedagogy over the summer. At Scottsdale Community College, 12 faculty are collaborating during a Summer Service Learning Institute to develop Field of Interest specific experiences.  One, led by the director of the Hospitality Program, is working on putting together a Human Trafficking Awareness Week at SCC. Arizona is a major hub for human trafficking, and victims are often trafficked through hotels. While the project is very early in its development, the core idea is that her hospitality students will create an advocacy campaign, host speakers, and offer some training on what to look for. The director is involving experts at the city and state level, as well as leveraging her numerous contacts in the hospitality industry. 

The District-wide Maricopa Summer Institute brings teams of faculty, often cross-college, together to develop and deploy projects in the classroom.  This past May the Institute highlighted the work of 10 teams.  One that was particularly intriguing was an attempt to encourage student buy-in for math. Math is often considered a necessary evil to obtain a certificate or degree but its applicability beyond that is often questioned. To address this, students are asked to interview professionals in their specific field of study and a panel of professionals was filmed talking about what math looks like in future career choices. Other Summer Institute groups are looking at the ethical use of generative AI in both English and Psychology classrooms.   

These highlights are not meant to diminish those residential faculty who choose to spend their summers disconnecting but rather to celebrate those who choose to remain connected with teaching and learning.

Irrespective of where or how the faculty spend their summers I can assure you they will return on August 11, refreshed, reinvigorated and renewed of purpose. 

I will close with a haiku on summer teaching

Golden rays embrace
Knowledge blooms with each warm day
Summer’s lessons shared.

MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Approved Compensation Package

/in

Last week the Chancellor sent an email regarding the approval of a compensation package for the next budget cycle.  Some of the highlights of this package for faculty are:

  • Increase the number of steps from 14 to 15
  • Provide a step for ALL residential faculty (including those originally at top of step)
  • 1 or more equity steps for some residential faculty
  • A lump-sum stipend for any employee whose base pay adjustment with the step is less than 4.13%.
  • The establishment of step equity minimums based on time as Residential Faculty

While I understand that the compensation may, in many cases, not match the inflation that we are all experiencing, it is my hope that we can come together to celebrate the fact that this is the first step we have received since AY 16/17 and a clear commitment on the part of District leadership and the Governing Board to address compensation and inequity issues as much as budgetarily possible.

I would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to Dr. Frank Wilson and his team for their diligence, flexibility, and willingness to work collaboratively with faculty input to come up with a compensation plan that attempts to address compensation issues for as many faculty as possible given budget constraints.

Further details can be found in the May 23rd Governing Board Docs and the Slide Deck from the Compensation Town Halls.

Best,
Lisa
MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Governing Board Address 5/23/23

/in

Madame la Presidente, members of the board, Chancellor, CEC colleagues, friends and family. I am Dr. Lisa Marsio and am honored to be the Faculty Association President for the 2023-2024 year. I would like to take a moment to thank Dr. Newton for her friendship, leadership, and mentorship over the past year. And for being the Ted Lasso to my Roy Kent!

Rather than saying “good evening” I will greet you with “jambo”.  Jambo is a Swahili greeting that translates as “hi” or “hey”. I use this, not because of its informality, but rather because I cannot help but smile everytime I say it.  “Jambo”.   

And we, as a District, have much to smile about.  Let me name a few.

We have seen enrollments trending up over the past year, and we can be hopeful that this will continue.  

We have launched 7 baccalaureate degrees and over 400 students have already enrolled.

We have saved our students millions of dollars through the innovative use of OER materials and task forces are being developed to look at everything from appropriate course fees to the use of Artificial Intelligence and other innovations in academia. Much to smile about.

We have come together in the partnership of Shared Governance and begun to build a community of collegiality and trust.  For example, Governing Board members, faculty, and staff worked collaboratively, and with lack of status in the room, on a strategic plan to move the Maricopa Community Colleges forward into an increasingly competitive academic world.  Much to smile about.

Perhaps the biggest thing we have to smile about, however, is our students, who continue to honor and humble us with the trust they place in us to be change-agents in their lives for the better.

Over the past two weeks, there has been great movement in the student population at our colleges.  Many, with degrees or credentials in hand, are entering the workforce.  Many, with transfer credits in hand, are matriculating to 4-year universities.  Some, such as the grandparent who took a social media class for their own edification and have mad skills in hand, are now embarrassing friends and family on Tik Tok.  While their goals may vary, they take with them a bit of the Maricopa mystique that binds them together, be it a Scottsdale fighting Artichoke, a South Mountain Cougar or a PC Bear.

Over the next few meetings, I hope to share happenings in the faculty world of Maricopa; more things that bring smiles to our faces such as the continued work in the realm of teaching and learning that continues to occur in the summer.  Stay tuned.

With that, I would like to close tonight with a haiku on semester’s end:

Books close, minds unfurl
Semester’s end, knowledge gained
Paths diverge, growth

Asante Sana (Thank you in Swahili)

 

MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Governing Board Address 4/9/23

/in

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

It is incredible the difference that 5 years can make. 

5 years ago on February 27, 2018. I was the Faculty Senate President at South Mountain Community College.  I sat that night with hundreds of colleagues in one of the District satellite viewing spaces necessary on the night of the Governing Board meeting because there were too many attendees to be housed in the Governing Board room.  On what Dr. Thor called a “dark day in Maricopa history,” a majority of Governing Board members voted to tear up the Residential Faculty Agreement, abolish the collaborative administration and faculty policy team known as Meet and Confer, and finish the goal they’d begun when they ended staff representation:  They gutted shared governance in the Maricopa County Community Colleges. 

Five years later, complete with two years of COVID smack dab in the middle, I stand here as the Faculty Association President and argue that we are in the midst of a renaissance of shared governance.  Due to the dedicated work of the Chancellor, our Governing Board, and the leadership of faculty, staff, and administration, together this year we have solidified the foundation of academic freedom, freedom of speech, and shared governance in our District.  The results are remarkable:

  • We have an active and thriving Committee on Academic Freedom, with increased requests for support and clarification about academic freedom coming from our Maricopa community.
  • We have a dedicated team of leaders exploring creation of a structure for Shared Governance in Maricopa, testament to our commitment to both its ideals and application. 
  • We developed a new Strategic Plan that involved stakeholders from across the District from start to finish, including retreats that brought together Maricopa faculty, staff, and administrators with Governing Board and community members to envision Maricopa’s future and priorities.
  • The Compensation Advisory Committee and Advisory Budget Committees have worked collaboratively to propose compensation plans for faculty, staff, and adjuncts that support the Governing Board’s commitment to equity and fiscal responsibility.
  • We have three effective teams established for policy development that have resulted in policy documents for residential faculty, staff, and adjuncts.  In true Maricopa acronym love, those teams are the RFACT, SPCT, and AFHCT.
  • This year saw the work to finalize the Performance Success evaluation model for staff, with implementation plans in place to begin pilots in Fall 23 and launch in Fall 24.  This has been a heavy lift and a team effort; I was proud to be part of this incredible work for our staff colleagues.

These are only the *large* endeavors we have completed or have moved into action just this past year.  There are numerous other task forces and initiatives recently launched or in the wings. It is gratifying to see the difference it makes to bring stakeholders together early in the decision making processes that help propel us forward to support our students and communities.  The work is not always easy or fast, and shared governance is a fragile construct  that requires constant vigilance and effort, but the progress is clearly worth the commitment.

In this, my last Board address as Faculty Executive Council President, I wish to take a moment to thank those who have made it possible for me to contribute in this renaissance year to the work of shared governance in Maricopa.  

First, thank you to my colleagues on CEC. Those early morning phone calls, late emails, and last minute meetings are testament to our willingness to collaborate, explore options, and give grace to each other as we address the inevitable challenges and opportunities we face in our complex system.  I have appreciated your generosity and look forward to our continued work. 

Thank you and recognition to my Faculty Association Officers, without whom I would not still be #vertical. Past President John Schampel has been on FEC since 2013, and I have appreciated his passion for shared governance, his experience with the history of Maricopa and faculty leadership, and his willingness to shoot straight with me whenever I ask..  President Elect Lisa Marsio already has an established track record of commitment to faculty and Maricopa in her previous leadership positions, and I look forward to supporting her and the intelligence, integrity, and kindness that she will bring to this role.  I have turned to Sasha as a touchstone in all things, to Megan for her generosity of spirit and rhetorical savvy, to Liz for her ability to provide clarity and focus, to Kory for quiet strength and determination, and to Barry and Jim for their institutional knowledge and experience.  These officers have provided the brains and the hands behind the scenes that make this job possible. This role is and will always be a team effort, and I was lucky and grateful to have them at my back. 

Thank you to the members of the Faculty Executive Council, especially the college Faculty Senate Presidents, who ensure their college colleagues are informed and are participating in shared governance locally and at the District.  We all benefit from their efforts on behalf of their colleges, and I have benefited from their perspectives, their work, and their collegiality.

Finally, thank you to the strong and dedicated faculty of the Maricopa Community Colleges.  When shared governance and freedom of expression were endangered in Maricopa, they rallied and worked and leveraged national higher education institutions and our legal system to restore what had been lost.  When faced with an unprecedented global pandemic, they pivoted and learned and sacrificed– in the midst of their own personal struggles– to support their students, colleagues, and colleges and to ensure access to the promise and power of higher education.  And in this new era of collaboration and partnership, they have willingly stepped up when asked to serve on the councils, committees, task forces, and teams that shared governance requires, all while continuing to teach and learn and provide excellence in education.  It has been my privilege and honor to represent and to serve them.  

These monthly addresses have admittedly been the most nerve-wracking part of my role as Faculty Association President, but I have been grateful for the opportunity to share the good work of faculty with you.  As always, thank you for the time and your attention.  Good evening.

Camille

 

MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Governing Board Address 10/25/22

/in

No Tricks, All Treats: Faculty and Enrollment Support

Good evening President Sullivan, Governing Board members, Chancellor Gonzales, colleagues, guests, and in particular to Glendale’s new interim President, Dr. Ernie Lara.  Dr. Lara, the faculty appreciate your service and look forward to working with you!

Tonight, I would like to take the opportunity to discuss the vital topic of enrollment and retention. We are all aware of the challenges we face with respect to bringing students back after the pandemic. Our colleges and District have been working on efforts designed to recruit and support students, and the work has appropriately focused resources and prioritized efforts in the offices of enrollment services, advising, and marketing.  However, these offices are not alone in their efforts. In addition to offering instructional excellence and quality curriculum in the classroom, faculty are working to support enrollment through outreach and retention efforts on campus and with our community partners in many disciplines and programs. 

Through outreach, faculty help to introduce students to the opportunities that are available to them in the Maricopa Community Colleges. For example, this fall at Paradise Valley, faculty in the fine and performing arts–music, dance, and theatre–are actively recruiting through work at their local high schools.  PVCC Music faculty are visiting feeder high school music programs weekly, Theatre faculty are inviting high school students to college events such as the 1st Annual PVCC Theatre Day, and faculty are jointly hosting performances and competitions such as the Quarterfinals of Alice Cooper’s “Proof Is in the Pudding” Music and Dance Competition. Additionally, PVCC faculty are working with their community partners to attract potential students to healthcare programs. In September, Nursing faculty and members of the PVCC Student Nurses Association represented PVCC at the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences career fair for high school students.   Nursing students collaborated with Mayo educators to demonstrate nursing skills, answer questions, and provide brochures for EMT, Paramedicine, CNA, and Registered Nurse programs for the estimated 500 high school attendees. 

We know that enrollment efforts should not ONLY focus on recruiting new students but should also include work to support student retention, which aligns to our goals of increasing student completion and success.  Faculty across MCCCD employ unique strategies to support student retention and completion both in and out of the classroom:

  • At SCC, service learning coordinators offer the “SCC – Social Cause Connection.” This new event has been designed to connect students to what they are learning in the classroom, to their peers across disciplines, to social issues that impact our communities, and to ways they can get involved. In its fall 2022 debut, hundreds of students attended the event. Nearly every student volunteered to participate in one of SCC’s on-site service learning sessions, where, for example, they could pack seeds to fight hunger, write letters to isolated senior citizens, or learn how to dispose of waste. The only suggestion for improvement was that students want more, as the sessions became “standing room only” events. SCC Service Learning coordinators intend to oblige.
  • At Mesa Community College, Biology faculty have piloted two new support programs to support retention. 
    • In spring 2021, Biology faculty added Embedded peer tutors to 3 key BIO classes. The Embedded tutors offer tailored support options to students, such as extended office hours and weekly discussion boards with recorded videos addressing the “tough topic of the week.” 
    • In Fall 2022, faculty developed new Biology Boot Camps for BIO 181 and BIO 201 students. Faculty acted on data that revealed students struggle with basic time management skills, poor study techniques, and high levels of anxiety.  The goal of the Biology Boot camps is a focus on these topics to support student persistence and success.
  • Finally, at Estrella Mountain, faculty are engaging in research to ask students what they need in order to succeed and then to align those responses to interventions  Over 1000 students were surveyed and over 50 students participated in focus groups conducted by EMCC’s Student Engagement Research Team. The research results led to the current phase of MCLI Horizon Grant funded interventions that focus on increasing engagement, increasing sense of belonging, and supporting more effective dissemination of campus resource information to all students. 

While tonight I have focused on specific colleges and programs, faculty across all of our colleges contribute to similar efforts. Faculty show their commitment to the promise of education every day through their work in and out of the classroom.  We are proud to be partners in the work to support enrollment and retention for the sake of our students, our institution, and our communities.

Thank you for your time.  

(And because it’s the end of October, we’ve brought treats.  Happy Halloween!)