Academic Senate

Grossmont College

Monday, September 18, 2006

11:00am – 12:20pm in Griffin Gate

 

 

CALL TO ORDER

Approval of Agenda

Approval of Minutes from May 15, 2006

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Interim Executive Director of the Foundation – Ernie Ewin

Review of the 10+1 Items Under the Purview of the Senate

Academic Senate Fall 06 Agenda Items – Attachment # 1

Recognition of Peter White (moved to the end of the meeting to accommodate Peter’s schedule)

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Program Review

ACTION ITEMS

None

INFORMATION ITEMS

Mission Statements for the District and College – Attachment #2 & #3

Plus/Minus Grading Proposal – Attachment #4

Faculty Serving on Committees – Attachment #5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Academic Senate

Grossmont College

Minutes of the Meeting – May 15, 2006

 

PRESENT: Beth Smith (President); Bonnie Schmiege (Vice President); Victoria Howitt (Senate Officer at Large); Craig Milgrim (Senate Officer at Large); P.J.Ortmeier, (Administration of Justice); Jennifer Carmean (ASL);, Paul Turounet (Art); Dave Wertlieb, Virginia Dudley, Michael Golden (Biological Sciences); Linda Snider, Mark Pressnall (Business Office Technology); Rick Kirby, Don Ridgway (Cardiovascular Technology); Tom Olmstead (Chemistry); Sheridan Dewolf, Mary Courtney (Child Development); Joel Castellaw, Sheri Guseman (Communication); Janet Gelb, Diane Mayne-Stafford (Computer Science); Mary Rider, Debbie Lim, Renee Tuller (Counseling); Evan Enowitz (Culinary Arts); Scott Barr (Disabled Student Services); (Dance); Chris Hill (Earth Sciences); Gary Phillips, Linda Mitchell, Stephanie Mood, Qais Sako (English); Virginia Berger, Nancy Herzfeld- Pipkin (ESL); Sylvia Montejano (EOPS); Jim Symington, Laura Burger (Exercise Science and Wellness); (Foreign Language); Sue Gonda, Devon Hansen (History); (International Business); Michelle Blackman, Pat Morrison (Library); Peg Hovde, Nemie Capacia, Jeff Waller (Math); Evan Wirig (Media Communications); (Music); (Nursing); Valerie Plummer (Occupational Therapy); David Milroy (PartTime Representatives); Zoe Close, Bill Hoaglin (Philosophy, Humanities & Religious Studies); (Physics, Astronomy, & Physical Sciences); Todd Meyers (Political Economy); Lorenda Seibold-Phalan (Respiratory Therapy); (Theatre Arts).

ABSENT: Lance Parr, Tina Young (Administration of Justice); (ASL); Jim Wilsterman, Suda House (Art); Teresa Jacob, Israel Cardona, Gregg Robinson (Behavioral Sciences); (Biological Sciences); Brian Keliher, Nate Scharff (Business Administration); (Cardiovascular Technology); (Chemistry); (Child Development); (Communication); Clifton Quinn (Computer Science); Tom Gamboa (Cross Cultural Studies); (Counseling); James Foran for Joe Orate (Culinary Arts); Kathy Meyer (Dance); Jane Nolan (Disabled Student Services); Mark Goodman, Tim Cliffe (Earth Sciences); Julie Cardenas, (English); Chuck Passentino, (ESL); (EOPS); Karen Caires, Joyce Sake (Exercise Science and Wellness); Ruth F. Konopka, Carmen Hernandez (Foreign Language); Marty Ennis (History); Priscilla Rogers (International Business); (LRC); Susan Working (Math); William Snead (Media Communications); Steve Baker, Fred Benedetti, Derek Cannon (Music); Nancy Tendal (Nursing); Raul Sandelin (PartTime Representatives); (Philosophy, Humanities & Religious Studies); Ross Cohen, Dennis Collins (Physics, Astronomy, & Physical Sciences);(Political Economy); (Respiratory Therapy); Beth Mallette, Craig Everett (Theatre Arts).

GUESTS: Dean Colli, Interim President – Grossmont

Della Elliott, Staff – Public Information

Marsha Raybourn, Supervisor – Instructional Operations

RECORDER: Tasa Campos

I. CALL TO ORDER

A. Approval of Agenda

A motion was made to approve the agenda.

M/S/U Montejano/Hill

Approval of Minutes from March 20, 2006

A motion was made to approve the minutes from the May 1, 2006 meeting.

M/S/U Milroy/Barr

 

II. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Close Nominations for Part Time Representatives

Beth shared today is the last day for Part Time Representative nominations to be submitted. The Senate has received two names, Raul Sandelin and Michelle Tucker. Beth asked if there were any additional nominations. There were none. The nominations were officially closed with two nominees. Ballots will be distributed into the part time faculty mailboxes by tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16 in the afternoon. Part time faculty members are only able to participate in this election. Election will close on Friday, May 26 at 5:00 pm.

Other

a. Beth shared an article from the San Diego Union by the author Jean Twenge who will be the key speaker at the Fall 2006 Professional Development Week.

b. Interim President, Dean Colli distributed a hand out and gave a brief presentation on how instructors can help enrollment grow for the summer.

c. Beth requested everyone read the hand out of a recap, written by Beth, of the most recent meeting between SOC and the Chancellor. Also included in the hand out was a response to Beth’s recap from Interim President, Dean Colli. The group discussed the information. On overhead version of a Timeline of Faculty Requests for Technical Assistance was reviewed. The group discussed the requests, timeline, and technical assistance levels.

A motion was made that the Senate Officers and the Senate not meet with the Chancellor again until a movement is made towards requesting technical assistance.

M/S/F Dudley/Golden

The motion failed.

A motion was made to amend the first motion to state the Senate Officers and the Senate will not meet again with the Chancellor until he signs and requests technical assistance.

M/S/F Schmiege/Tuller

The motion failed.

The group continued to discuss the Chancellor and Technical Assistance. It was suggested the Senate request the Chancellor meet with the Senate during Fall Professional Development Week.

A motion was made to request the Chancellor meet with the Senate and any other faculty members interested in attending during Fall Professional Development Week.

M/S/P Wertlieb/Golden

A hand count was taken, ayes 20, nays 16. The motion passed.

Beth and the senate officers will try to arrange a meeting. The group discussed having a set agenda.

lI. ACTION ITEMS

Distance Ed Plan – Attachment #1

Diane Mayne-Stafford gave an overhead presentation of the Distance Ed Plan including the revisions made since the last Academic Senate meeting on May 1. The group discussed the plan. There was concern expressed regarding the online degrees. There were some word changes made to the sections regarding online degrees. Diane noted the changes. The group discussed how the plan would be an ongoing and changing document as time progressed.

A motion was made to approve the Distance Ed Plan with the changes made to the sections containing online degrees.

M/S/P Wertlieb/Schmiege

A hand count was taken, the motion passed.

The group thanked Diane for her time and work.

Academic Rank – Attachment #2

A motion was made to approve the Academic Rank list and the Faculty Serving on Committees list in Item C.

M/S/U Wertlieb/Wirig

Faculty Serving on Committees

This item was approved in Item B.

IV. INFORMATION ITEMS

None

V. COMMITTEE REPORTS

Program Review

Due to the lack of time Scott Barr stated he would give his presentation on Program Review in the Fall.

Curriculum

Chris Hill gave an overhead review on the Curriculum Committee. She reviewed Fall 2005 and Spring 2006 semester summaries of work. Other issues for the committee are diversity, SLOs, Distance Ed, and 299 discussions.

Sue Gonda gave a review of the Diversity Subcommittee and how diversity is related to curriculum and accreditation.

There currently is no General Ed Committee on campus so the Curriculum Committee has taken over those duties in the past. In the fall semester, the Academic Senate will review the possibility of re-establishing the General Ed Committee.

Chris thanked Virginia Berger, who is leaving the Curriculum Committee, for all her hard work.

VI. OTHER

Recognition awards were presented to Edda Temoche-Wedele and Dave Wertlieb by the Academic Senate.

Meeting adjourned at 12:20 p.m.

*The next meeting will be on September 18 in Griffin Gate.

BS:tmc

 

 

 

 

President Report - September 18, 2006

Attachment #1

Academic Senate Fall 06 Agenda Items

 

 

Report from Program Review

Approval of District and College Mission Statements

Consider Allowing Faculty to Use Plus/Minus Grading

Review of Supervised Tutoring, Including a Definition from the Pedagogical Perspective

Consider Resurrection of the GE Committee

Approve New Forms for Determining Equivalencies for Part Time Faculty

Consider Adoption of Institutional Values

Consider Revisions to the Constitution of the Senate

Consider Creation of a Task Force to Develop a Policy on Cell Phones and Cheating

10. Consider Creation of a Task Force to Develop a Policy on Faculty Rights

Consider Resolutions as Created by Faculty about Pertinent Issues

Election of New Senate President.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information Item – Attachment #2

September 18, 2006

Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

Vision: Educational Excellence for a Productive Citizenry

Mission: (May 11, 2006 Draft Final)

The mission of the colleges of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, as well as the District Office in support of its colleges, is to provide educational leadership through learning opportunities that anticipate, prepare for, and meet the future challenges of a complex democracy and a global society. Through Grossmont College and Cuyamaca College, the District facilitates and supports educational programs and services to meet student and community needs.

The Community College District Office provides:

Centralized leadership for coordination of educational programs and services

Institutional Research and Planning

Human resource programs and development

Responsible fiscal and business management

Administrative support

External relations that inform, advocate and support the District’s vision, mission and values

Conscientious compliance with federal, state and local laws, policies and regulations

Strategic Direction

The Way Forward, the adopted districtwide philosophy and strategic approach, identifies values and direction to accomplish the District’s mission.

Academic Excellence

Commitment to institutions focused on teaching, learning and supportive services that lead to student success

Unity

Commitment to cooperation in good faith throughout the organization and the community to enable progress beyond that of any individual’s capacity

Standardization

Commitment to standardizing systems and processes to save resources, facilitate operations and remove barriers

 

Alignment

Commitment to align curriculum and practices to eliminate obstacles to student success and facilitate seamless transition

Resources

Commitment to secure, sustain and develop human resources; protect, maintain and enhance the physical environment; and pursue technological and fiscal resources to support educational programs and appropriate facilities

 

 

Information Item – Attachment #3

September 18, 2006

DRAFT Mission Statement

REVISED April 21, 2006

(Intro statement – aims to define the institution’s intended student population)

Grossmont College serves a broad and diverse community of individuals who seek to benefit from the college’s wide range of educational programs and services.

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(Next two sections are based on the "Educational Objectives" outlined on page 7 of each catalog. These sections aim to define the institution’s broad educational purposes)

The primary mission of Grossmont College in order to fulfill its commitment to student learning is to provide:

Instructional programs that meet student needs for transfer education, vocational and career education, general education and developmental courses

Community education programs and services

Programs that promote economic development

To facilitate this mission, Grossmont College provides a comprehensive range of support services including: outreach and access initiatives, academic and learning resources, student development programs, and multicultural and co-curricular activities.

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{This last section is tailored to each college’s Strategic Plan and aims to show a commitment to achieving student learning}

In support of its primary mission to promote student learning, Grossmont College structures its planning processes and engages the college community to pursue the following areas of focus:

Student Development and Academic Excellence

Our Community

Fiscal Resources

Human Resources

Physical Resources

Campus Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information Item – September 18, 2006

Attachment #4

Proposal to the Grossmont/Cuyamaca Joint Academic Senate: Implementation of "Plus" and "Minus" Grades starting Fall 2007

Philip Blanco, Physics Instructor, Grossmont College

Clifton Quinn, Computer Science & Information Systems Instructor, Grossmont College

WHEREAS:

Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges are institutions of higher learning committed to the goal of academic excellence for its students and faculty

it is the fundamental right and responsibility of individual faculty members to assign grades which best represent their students’ performance in courses they teach

a significant fraction of the Grossmont/Cuyamaca faculty believe that the current "plain letter" grading scheme (ABCDF) does not provide them with the necessary accuracy to achieve this purpose

the District’s transition to a computerized course management and grading system in Fall 2007 provides us with an opportunity to institute the best possible district-wide grading policy for our courses, with minimal additional disruption or cost

the local universities to which many GCCCD students transfer to complete their undergraduate education are San Diego State University, the University of California, San Diego, California State University San Marcos, and the University of San Diego. ALL of these universities employ a course grading scheme which includes "+" and "-" grades

numerous colleges and universities have transitioned successfully to a "+/-" grading scheme with significant advantages to students and faculty, and no significant problems reported, and few (if any) institutions have reverted to a grading scheme which does not include "+" or "-" grades

WE PROPOSE on behalf of many of our faculty colleagues that, starting in Fall 2007, instructors may assign the following letter grades to their students’ work at the completion of a course of study (listed together with the equivalent point score for the purpose of calculating Grade Point Averages):

A+ 4.0 A 4.0 A- 3.7

B+ 3.3 B 3.0 B- 2.7

C+ 2.3 C 2.0

D 1.0

F 0.0

(Explanatory notes overleaf)

EXPLANATORY NOTES:

Individual faculty shall retain the academic freedom to assign "plain letter" grades only, or a subset of the grades listed above (see point 2 of the proposal) in any section of a course. However, the Academic Senate encourages instructors to ensure that their students are made aware of their grading scheme at an early stage in the course.

The "minimum passing letter grade" for a course administered by the GCCCD shall remain a "C". Therefore, the academic requirements for "Credit/No Credit" grades shall remain unchanged.

In compliance with California Code of Regulations, Title 5, section 55758:

Grade points shall be assigned to each letter grade according to the scheme presented above

There shall be no assignment of the grade of "C-".

The grade of "A+" may be awarded to outstanding students whose academic performance merits such a distinction. However, this grade shall be equivalent to an "A", or 4.0 points, for the purpose of calculating Grade Point Averages (GPAs).

Each college shall publish in every edition of the college catalog a detailed explanation of this grading system including the grade points assigned for each grade.

Furthermore, there shall be no assignments of D+, D-, F+, or F- in this proposed scheme.

Given the increased precision afforded by this grading scheme, Grade Point Averages (GPAs) shall be reported on student transcripts to 2 (TWO) decimal places, with conventional rounding up or down of the last decimal place.

Information Item – Attachment #5

September 18, 2006

 

Faculty to Serve on Committees

Curriculum Sydney Brown

John Oakes

Denise Schulmeyer

Jeff Waller

Student Grievance/Discipline Hearing Patrice Braswell-Burris

Jennifer Carmean

Judy Dirbas

Ray Funk

Marlene Jansky

Enrollment Strategies Priscilla Rogers

Facilities Sheridan Dewolf

Beth Kelley

Publications Brian Jennings

June Yang

Scholarship Tina Perez

Student Services Program Review Lisa Aguilar

Marlene Jansky

Student Success Jeff Waller (as Curriculum Rep)

Planning & Budget Council Patty Morrison

Jim Wilsterman

Petitions Gwenyth Mapes

Tom Olmstead

Academic Program Review Nadra Farina-Hess

Search Committee VPSS Nemie Capacia

Sylvia Montejano

Bonnie Schmiege