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Bonus Blog! Reminders that remind us about making progress in our processes

I’m writing today because there are so many reminders about various processes to share. I notice, though, that most of these align with positive steps in making our work towards racial and social justice more systematic. On July 1, 2020, CCC’s Academic Senate Council passed 21 powerful resolutions that set the course for intentionally institutionalizing ideas about racial and social justice. I thought I’d use this blog to highlight the progress, however incremental, that these process reminders signal. One foot after the other.

Professional Development theme for 2021-22 year

Resolutions #3 (CCC’s ASC encourages faculty involvement in professional development activities coordinated campus-wide by the Social Justice Leadership Institute. ) and #9 (CCC’s ASC recommends that the Professional Development (PD) committee work with the Student Success committee to set themes for professional development each year, and then plan events such as a speaker series and themed FLEX activities to accomplish intentional PD each year that is based on participatory governance input ) are encapsulated in Cile Beatty’s message to us on April 13. Please help out by sharing your ideas on Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline Through Transformative Justice and begin to familiarize yourself with the topic in preparation for next fall.

Hiring committees – two positions with a huge impact on our students. Share your expertise and experience!

Resolutions #7 (CCC’s ASC will review and implement ways to recruit faculty that diversifies hiring committees when appointing faculty for managerial and faculty hiring committees (AASA call to action #19)) and #5 (CCC’s ASC will review our process for making faculty appointments to hiring committees (both managerial and faculty) and the outcomes of that appointment process, and make adjustments as necessary to advance principles of inclusion and equity in the composition of hiring committees) are furthered with this reminder to engage with the Director of A&R and Director of Gateway to College hiring committees!

Every one of your students is affected by A&R.  Think of the frequency you are helping students adjust something with your A&R colleagues.  If you haven’t served on a hiring committee recently (or ever!), this is a wonderful chance to share your perspective and knowledge of our students.   As you know, the Gateway program focuses on the students for which our systems were not ready.  The Gateway director impacts the lives of so many in our community and really gets to the heart of our college’s care for the most vulnerable students.  We need you to help guide this decision!  Note that two more management positions coming up soon, too.  Dean of AACE and permanent VP SS

4CD Diversity Hiring Training – new version debut April 26

Resolution #8 (CCC’s ASC will advance discussion via the FSCC and other constituent senates district-wide to change the district-controlled aspects of hiring which are impeding efforts to reduce disproportionate impacts on particular populations of candidates ) We got an email from Sophia Lever on April 12 with notification of this training opportunity. This is a new training, and perhaps it is intended as a response to the community pressure at governing board meetings over the past couple of years, particularly from West County.  The next offering isn’t until July 1, so if you can go to this one, please do.  Also, I encourage you to make notes about feedback you have and share both with the ASC and UF. Let’s hope its a big improvement over the last trainings, but if it isn’t what you think it should be, we faculty need to lead in making it better! 

Resolution # 6 (CCC’s ASC will collaborate with the college VP to update the college hiring training with specific attention to equitybias, and transparency of hiring steps, the equivalency process, and development of supplemental and interview questions that focus upon the 2nd min qualification (California Education Code §87360, “criteria that include a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students”) is also in the works. Dr Rogers and I are collaborating to provide a training to the departments hiring new Full Time faculty this round. This is just the beginning of a new training about faculty hiring at CCC to replace our 2015 version. I’m so glad we can finally start this work!

Guided Pathways Faculty co-chair for Programs Pathways and Pedagogy Workgroup

Resolution # 18 (CCC’s ASC supports the work already started by the GP Pathways Programs and Pedagogy workgroup to advocate for inclusion of culturally responsive pedagogy and a supportive climate in every CCC classroom (Chancellor’s call to action #3). The GP-PPP workgroup will be continuing its work in bringing us together to clarify our programs for students (Pillar #1), and then move on to engaging us in ways that help students stay on the path (Pillar #3) and ensure learning (Pillar #4) through collaboration on developing effective pedagogy that truly reaches all of our students. The GP-PPP co-chair position application is due May 3, and you can also find the information in an April 21 email from me.

Faculty questions for CCC President finalists in the public forum

We just found out yesterday (so, yesterday’s email april 22!) that faculty questions are needed for the public fora that are part of the CCC President search process.  Please take a moment to craft and share a question you’d like the candidates to answer.  The timeline is short on this one.  

Graduation message from faculty – please share your ideas!

I need your help!  I have to record a graduation message on behalf of us faculty very soon.  I’ll remind you again next week, but please think about what you’d like to share with students on their graduation day.  I want to include as many voices as possible in the ~2 minute remarks.