Mesa Community College Faculty Senate

Approved Minutes

Meeting highlights on this page, details given below.

Date: 12/4/2003

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Location: Kirk Student Center, Maricopa Room

I. Call to Order at 3:12 p.m.

II. Agenda Approval

The proposed agenda was unanimously approved.

III. Approval of Minutes

The Minutes of the Senate meeting held 11/20/2004 were approved (with one abstention).

IV. Treasurerπs Report

Phil Waclawski reported that the MCC Faculty Association membership stands at 239, but only 236.5 were registered before the cutoff date.

V. Committee and Project Reports

A. Distance Education Committee: Ed Lipinski reported, and considerable discussion ensued.

VI. Old Business

A. New Constitution: ratified by Faculty (68-1)

B. Senate/DCA Retreat: scheduled for 12/12

C. ITAC Resolution: DCA has not met.

D. Outstanding Faculty Award: the ad hoc committee presented a proposal.

VII. New Business

A. Social Committee: 3 volunteers will plan a social event for the spring semester.

VIII. Information & Announcements

A. Presidentπs report

1. Faculty loading in Distance Learning courses

2. Active Retirement program

B. President-electπs report

1. FEC report

(a) Active Retirement program before the CEC

(b) Hiring process

(c) Faculty transfer policy

(d) EBAC survey

C. Secretaryπs report

D. Department Chair Association liaison report

E. Active retiree representative report

F. Senate membersπ reports

1. At-large members

2. Zone representatives

Mesa Community College Faculty Senate

Draft Minutes

Outline agenda on previous page, details given below.

Date: 12/4/2003

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Location: Kirk Student Center, Maricopa Room

I. Call to Order

President Charles Lewis called the meeting to order at 3:12 p.m.

Members:	Representing/Office	Present:	Absent:
Phillip Carrillo	At-large	X
Harold Cranswick	Zone 5, DCA liaison	X
Lyn Dutson	Zone 1	X
Charles Horn	Active Retirees Rep.	X
Mehrzad Khorsandi	At-large	X
Charles Lewis	President	X
David Nachman	Zone 8, Secretary	X
Gregg Pratt	At-large	X
Erin Rawson	At-large	X
Janice Reilly	President-elect	X
Mona Scott	At-large	X
John Seims	Zone 4	X
Ann Stine	At-large	X
Naomi Story	Zone 7		X
Barry Vaughan	Zone 3	X
Niccole Villa Cerveny	At-large	X
Phillip Waclawski	Zone 2, Treasurer	X
Maureen Zimmerman	Zone 6		X

In addition, Ed Lipinski, representing the Distance Education Committee, was present for the early portion of the meeting.

II. Agenda Approval

The agenda was approved unanimously, as proposed

III. Minutes Approval

The Minutes of our 11/20/2003 meeting were approved. (10-0-1).

IV. Treasurerπs Report

A. Membership: Phil Waclawski, Treasurer, reported that we currently have 239 Faculty Association members, but that only 236¹/₂ of these had registered before the cutoff date.

B. Financial: The Treasurer reported no activity in the checking account, giving $44,093.62 as the total balance of all accounts.

V. Committees & Project Reports

A. Distance Education Committee: Ed Lipinski reported to the Senate on behalf of the DEC, presenting the purpose and current activities, sources of DEC discussion items, and the elements associated with DL faculty loads and use of adjuncts to teach DL courses.

Multiple additional issues were raised for discussion, based on questions heard through the Ocotillo Project, the Online Learning Group, Rio Salado College, and elsewhere:

∑ Should residential faculty loading for Distance Learning (DL) courses be limited?

∑ Should quality control for DL courses (especially those taught by adjunct faculty) be imposed?

∑ Does the typically low retention rate of DL classes color the attitude of administrators toward DL classes?

∑ Of the approximately 3100 current DL students, roughly 60% are concurrently enrolled on-campus.

∑ What will the NCA think?

∑ Do students registering for online courses have the skills needed to survive in that setting?

∑ Do faculty teaching online courses have an excuse to stay off-campus?

Upon discussion, it became apparent that the Senate has not been kept informed of the Committeeπs work:

∑ DEC Minutes have been archived, but not distributed to the Senate.

∑ DEC recommendations have not come through the Senate for support or ratification.

Senators emphasized that, as a Senate committee, the DEC must bring any substantive recommendations it may make back to the Senate for a vote of approval

VI. Old Business

A. Constitution: The revised Constitution was ratified by a vote of the Faculty (68 for, 1 against).

B. DCA/Sentate Retreat: We have scheduled a joint retreat with the Department Chair Association for 3-5 pm on 12/12/2003 in the Center for Teaching and Learning. Growth in enrollment at Mesa Community College has implications for both the ITAC issues and the Red Mountain campus.

C. ITAC: Janice Reilly reported that the Department Chair Association (DCA) has not met since the last Senate meeting, and so has not yet considered combining with the Senate in a joint effort to improve the MCC information technology infrastructure planning and implementation.

D. Outstanding Faculty Award: Harold Cranswick reviewed the proposal of the ad hoc committee. Acceptance of the proposal was moved and seconded. A number of amendments were suggested and accepted:

∑ The award shall include a reception (paid from the Senate budget) for the award-winning faculty member.

∑ The name of the award recipient shall be forwarded to the FEC organizers of the Fall convocation, so that recognition can be made at that event.

∑ Responsibility for public notice of the award program shall fall to the Senate president-elect.

The proposal to institute a Mesa Community College Faculty Senate Outstanding Faculty Award passed unanimously. The nominating process will begin in Fall 2004, with the first annual award to be made in Fall 2005.

VII. New Business

A. Social Committee: Phil Waclawski proposed that, in view of the sizable surplus of funds in its treasury, the Senate consider organizing some number of faculty socials. President Lewis called for volunteers to serve on a Social Committee, and Janice Reilly, Erin Rawson, and Barry Vaughan put their names forward. Having heard the Senateπs general approval, this committee will plan for a Spring Social in 2004.

VIII. Information & Announcements

President Charles Lewis and Janice Reilly will bring the issue of faculty loading in distance-learning courses to their regular meeting with the Dean of Instruction.

Dr. Christiansen wants to open several details of the Active Retirement program for consideration. In particular, should MCC expect more than just teaching from the 49% faculty? Charles Horn, the Senate representative to the active retired faculty suggested that the college provide shared office space, with e-mail, phone, and computer availability as a prerequisite for extending the involvement of 49%ers. He offered to poll the active retirement faculty to find out what they think belongs in the program. A policy-clarification question was raised: will the Dean of Instruction allow fulfillment of an active retireeπs obligation with alternating semesters of 100% and 0% teaching load?

President-elect Janice Reilly reported from the recent meeting of the Faculty Executive Council:

∑ Vice-chancellor JosÈ Leyva agreed to take the proposed language ≥Colleges will establish and maintain active-retirement programs,≤ back to the CEC before it goes to the Governing Board for confirmation.

∑ He agreed that the current hiring process needs improvement.

∑ The MCCD transfer policy is seen as equitable, but not applied in a consistent manner across the District.

∑ Under time pressure, the Employee Benefits Advisory Committee (EBAC) released its recent employee survey before the FEC had issued its final approval. The survey seems to ask the wrong questions, and to force answers to one of two polar positions. The survey should be rewritten and redistributed, but the EBAC has a tight timeline for reporting its recommendations.

In response to this last item, one Senator moved that the Senate President send a message to faculty about the benefits survey, pointing out the concerns and flaws, and explaining that individuals may choose whether to respond to the survey questions or not. Charles Lewis agreed to do so.

Secretary David Nachman distributed draft minutes of the meetings held 11/6 and 11/20 for correction and later approval by the Senate.

Others Ann Stine, DCA Liaison, reported on the Department Chairsπ recent meeting with the Dean of Instruction. The Dean presented a job posting for a Senior Associate Dean of Distance Learning, crafted with little or no input from chairs or the Senate. This seems like a ≥done deal≤.

Concern was raised over the news that a faculty position at the Red Mountain campus is opening, but will be treated as a transfer (requiring the approval of the DI) rather than as a regular assignment (requiring only the approval of the department chair).

A scholarship will be established to honor the memory of a faculty-memberπs daughter who was killed in a car collision.

Phil Waclawski asks that everyone check the accuracy of the ALL-FACULTY e-mail distribution list.

The MCC Scheduling Office presently is in chaos, due to recent departures of long-time members of the professional staff.

In response to a request from the Senate, the MCC schedule of Final Exams has been revised to reflect actual class starting times.

IX. Adjournment

Adjournment was called at 5:10 p.m., the Senate to reconvene in the new year.