Unfortunately, I do not have the sheet from the hotel in Rome for a toga, so this outfit will have to do.
Domina praeses, tabula membra, cancellarius, CEC collegae, honorati discipuli, et hospites “Jambo”!
Before I begin my report, I would like, on behalf of faculty leadership, to welcome “salve” Ms. Bitter-Smith as the incoming Governing Board president and thank “merci beaucoup” Ms. Sullivan for her tenure and long-standing commitment to the District. At your place, Ms. Sullivan, is a small token of our appreciation for your years of service.
As you may have seen in the agenda, my presentation for tonight is titled “To Do.” Spring always feels like a rush to the finish line and there is much work to be accomplished before faculty transition to summer responsibilities. I’d like to give you a rundown of a few things the faculty will be involved in, and hopefully finishing up, this spring.
At our core, obviously, is instruction. Spring 2024 will see over 6200 courses offered; of which approximately 52% are taught by full-time Residential faculty.
Beyond teaching, faculty are involved in such things as:
Credits/Period/Load (CPL) Task Force
Credits, periods, and load are core components of courses in that they represent student learning, instructional contact and time on task, and faculty compensation. The current system has been in place since 1985, and issues around credits/periods/load and load formulas have existed but had not been addressed in a systematic manner. These issues impact multiple areas such as curriculum, compensation, accreditation, transfer agreements, and student financial aid. The goal of this cross-functional Task Force will be to address these complex issues in a thoughtful and coordinated manner.
Modality/Delivery TF
During the pandemic, a group came together to standardize class delivery formats and definitions. This work is being updated to reflect post-pandemic delivery options. The revised/updated definitions will be socialized through our shared governance process and incorporated into both SIS and Find a Class.
New Faculty On-boarding
A District-wide new faculty on-boarding program is being developed. The scope of the program will be to cover three areas of importance to new faculty: (1): Teaching and Learning; (2): Organizational Culture and (3): Administrative Processes (non-instructional needs).
Community of Practice – Futures Thinking 2040
This community of practice aims to create a future-focused mindset within MCCCD to allow it to be proactive in responding to anticipated as well as sudden unexpected changes. Questions it will seek to answer are:
- What are the emerging trends and best practices in teaching and learning?
- What are the emerging trends and technologies in education and how they could be leveraged to improve student outcomes?
- What are the emerging trends in curricula and the way classes are scheduled?
- What are the emerging trends/needs in student support services?
- What are the emerging trends/needs to support faculty and faculty development?
- What are the careers of the future?
RFACT
Has been diligently revising Articles 6, 7, 17, 20, and 21 to clean up language, improve the flow of procedures and add clarity. They are also developing a new Article (Article 22) on investigations. Proposals are being shared for feedback through our established processes so they can be finalized for GB consideration.
And Last, six colleges have VITA sites
These sites, SCC, MCC, CGCC, SMCC, EMCC, and PC will be staffed by faculty and will offer free tax return help to anyone whose income is under $64k.
These services are a shining example of faculty using their expertise for the benefit of our community beyond the classroom.
A haiku for the spring
Budding knowledge blooms
New semester’s vibrant start
Springtime minds ignite.
Lisa
Maricopa Community College Faculty Association