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Welcome Back from Your Faculty Association!

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Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 academic year! I hope your summer was amazing and that you are recharged and ready for all the opportunities this year will bring. As we begin the semester, I’m excited to share some important updates and accomplishments from the Faculty Association (FA).

Salary & Compensation Updates
This past year, the Faculty Association successfully advocated through shared governance for faculty to receive salary increases. The Governing Board approved:

  • A step for all Residential Faculty below Step 15;

  • An increase in the maximum grade for the Residential Faculty Salary Schedule from PhD+6 to PhD+9;

  • A step equity adjustment for Residential Faculty below the identified minimum step equity targets based on time served as Residential Faculty or identified through the 2025 salary inversion study; and

  • A 4.12% one-time stipend for full-time employees whose July 1, 2025, base pay adjustments are less than 4.12% of their June 30, 2025, rate.

Residential Faculty Agreement (RFA)
The 2025-2026 Residential Faculty Agreement is available on the Faculty Association website. The RFA is our contract outlining our rights and responsibilities as faculty. I encourage you to bookmark the page and reach out to your Faculty Senate President with any questions you have about policy and procedures.

Faculty Reversion Rights
The Faculty Association also successfully advocated for faculty reversion rights as a way to promote leadership development and to recognize the talent that exists within the district. As a result, Chancellor Gonzales has requested that the Residential Faculty and Administration Collaboration Team (RFACT) draft policy language for faculty reversion rights, ensuring faculty maintain the right to return to a faculty role (if they chose to do so) after serving in an administrative position. RFACT has added this issue to its docket with the goal of including the issue in the 2026-2027 RFA or in the 2027-2028 RFA if RFACT needs more time to conduct research and draft language.

Institutional Guidance & Coordination Team
Be on the lookout for communications from the Institutional Guidance and Coordination Team (IGC). IGC was launched to address new and ongoing Executive Orders and federal regulations and their potential system impacts. It is made up of system leaders and subject matter experts who meet multiple times a week. FEC represents faculty interests as a member of IGC. All IGC communications, frequently asked questions, and resources are available on the internal IGC district webpage.

FA Lunch and Learn Series

We are excited to continue the FA Lunch and Learn Series this year! Last year many of you joined in on conversations about free speech in the classroom, academic freedom, faculty employment rights, and more. Recordings of all Lunch and Learn sessions are available on the Faculty Association website. Watch your inbox for invites to upcoming events.

Save the Date – All Faculty Meeting
Join us Friday, August 29, noon–1:00pm for an All Faculty Meeting where we will talk about shared governance and the work of FEC and the FA. We hope you will log in to ask questions, share ideas, and connect with your faculty leaders.

The Maricopa Community Colleges Faculty Association champions shared governance, protects academic freedom, and provides meaningful member benefits. 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 click to join. See Membership Benefits to learn more about the value of joining the Faculty Association. We are all stronger when we work together.

Thank you for your continued dedication to our students and to one another. Wishing you a rewarding and successful semester ahead.

Warmly,
Stacy Smith
President
Maricopa Community Colleges Faculty Association

MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Updated List of Lunch & Learn Recordings

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Below is an updated list of the lunch and learn recordings hosted by the FA legal counsel, Barton Mendez Soto, for the academic year:

MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Executive Orders and What Can be Done Lunch and Learn

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The Faculty Association had a lunch and learn this past Friday with our legal counsel Barton Mendez Soto.

Topics covered include:

  • What Is Happening? – An overview of Executive Orders issued by the Trump Administration that impact higher education, and what legal action is currently underway in response thereto.
  • What Can Be Done? – An exploration of the nuts and bolts of challenging such actions, including who has standing to challenge such actions, in what venue, and against what defendants.
  • What Does It Cost? – An investigation into the expense of taking such action–both monetary and other risks associated therewith.

Executive Orders and What Can be Done Recording – Passcode: 8ri$DgBu

MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Regarding a Faculty Association Website Update

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Dear Faculty,

I hope this message finds you well! We are excited to inform you that the Faculty Association is upgrading the membership portal on our website. These changes aim to improve the overall experience for current and future FA members and to provide enhanced security and ease of use.

The new portal allows FA members to:

  • View payment history and membership status
  • Benefit from increased security for personal and payment information
  • Streamline the process for joining and making donations

Unfortunately, this will require current members to reset their passwords and re-enter payment information. Please keep an eye out in the next couple weeks for an email with links and instructions.

We understand that transitions like this can sometimes raise questions, so to ensure a smooth transition, both Kory Ambrosich (Membership Officer) and Megan McGuire (Communications Officer), are available to assist anyone needing help to navigate the new system:

Kory Ambrosich
kory.merkel@gmail.com
(602) 921-0144

Megan McGuire
megcmcguire@gmail.com

For those who are not currently members, we invite you to consider joining. By uniting with fellow faculty members, you contribute to a stronger, more supportive community dedicated to advocating for better work environments, shared governance, and academic freedom. This is important now more than ever as education is under attack. Together, we can make a difference in shaping a better future for faculty and students alike.

We appreciate everyone’s understanding and cooperation as we work to improve our services, and we look forward to your continued engagement with the Faculty Association.

Thank you,

Ramona Goth
FA President 2024-2025

MCCFA LogoMaricopa Community College Faculty Association

Faculty Rights qua Employment Rights (Accommodations) Presentation

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The Faculty Association had a 5th Know Your Rights presentation with our legal counsel Barton Mendez Soto on 2/27/25. This presentation focused on faculty / employment rights around accommodations. Topics covered include:

  • What are Faculty Rights in determining/modifying an academic accommodation (core competencies)?
  • What is the interaction between academic freedom & academic accommodation?
  • Once an accommodation is granted what are the consequences of noncompliance?
  • Faculty Rights PRI, warnings that are less than that which triggers a right of appeal?
  • Under what circumstances are administration demands for confidentiality enforceable?